The Detective Agency
by Lordoftheghostking28
Summary: Send in your mysteries! We'll solve anything from breaking and entering to murder! Just send in a letter with the details...we'll work out payment at a further date. We guarentee your mystery will be solved or we'll work for free! So send it in! We're not getting any younger here! *CHAOTIX DETECTIVE AGENCY: NOT ACCEPTING, unless you manage to convince our boss * Details inside.
1. Prologue: the beginning

** This is the original prologue for this story. Just so you know, submissions ON THIS STORY are closed. There WILL BE a sequel. So if you send in stuff, be prepared to be in the sequel**

You were walking the street, minding your own business, as usual. Your favorite song was blaring in your headphones, uplifting your spirit. Then you stumble over something, dropping to one knee.

In frustration, you look for what you have tripped over.

There— now slightly cracked— is what appears to be a small TV. You press the only button visible and a image flashes on the screen; a long wooden desk. Sitting behind the desk is a large green crocodile wearing headphones. He begins to speak, so you reluctantly pull out your earphones.

"-Chaotix Detective Agency." You manage to catch him saying. "We'll solve any mystery you have for us, for a reasonable price. So send them in! We get bored here."

The camera shook and a small face filled the screen. "Ooooh, Vector! What's this? Hi, Mom!"

"Charmy, get away from the camera!" The crocodile roared, jumping out from behind the desk and making a wild swipe at the interruption. You watch them chase each other off screen for a few minuets until someone else walks up to the camera.

"Please excuse my immature coworkers," A purple chameleon apologizes. "They don't get out much. Anyway, we're the people to solve your mysteries. Send them in to our boss…she'll give us the details and work out payments. We guarantee the solution to your mystery or you get your money back."

In the background; Charmy, who you reason to be a bumblebee, has just blown all the papers off the wooden table with his wings. Vector came crashing after him, instead flipping the table over and hitting the camera to the side. All you can see now are the purple chameleon's feet.

"Espio, he's going crazy!" Vector shouted.

"It's springtime!" Charmy shouted gleefully. "Flowers, flowers, flowers!"

The chameleon—Espio—sighed and the camera switched off.

You shake your head. You do indeed have a situation that is a bit on the mysterious side…but trusting these three and their boss with it? Probably not. Then again, there aren't any detective agencies around anywhere else.

A beeping sound catches your attention and you look back at the TV. A message has scrolled across the screen. You lean closer to read it.

"Self…destruct…in…five…four…OH CRAP!" You shout, running as fast as you can in the opposite direction. A good sounding BOOM is heard, and all that is left of the TV is ashes. You sigh, popping in your earphones again. Might as well go home and write to them about your mystery.

** XxXxXxXx**

** All right, here's how it works:**

** You have a mystery that you want to turn into a chapter on here? Ok, good! Send them to me in a review or a PM message!**

** You will also need to include a name and description of yourself or an OC. (Pennames are also accepted)**

** It can be in first person or third person, preferably third.**

** YOU NEED A NAME FOR YOUR CHAPTER RELATING TO YOUR MYSTERY.**

** If you want, you can plot out the basic plot of the mystery you want, or just say a few sentences and leave it all up to me…I mean…the Chaotix Detective Agency's boss. Anything goes, but try to keep it in the 'T' range. First come, first serve! At the longest, a month long wait for your chapter.**

** There are a few characters **_**I absolutely refuse to kill off. Those are Tails, Knuckles, Sonic, Eggman, Silver, Shadow, Blaze, Charmy, Espio, Vector, and Rouge. Everyone else is fair game to killing sprees. Just don't kill everyone I didn't mention in one request**_**…I want these mysteries to flow together…**

** I WILL ONLY DO 12 CHAPTERS AT MAXIMUM. SO START THINKING!**

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**


	2. Chapter 1: Kidnapped Canines

**CHAPTER 1, KIDNAPPED CANINES**

** Ok, quick notes before we begin. You must suffer through these Author Notes because they are important for mystery sender-inners:**

** A few I have received aren't clear. If I haven't written back to you, or you aren't Shadow12517, then I need more detail! It's sort of vague, and honestly, I don't know if I can do it! I'm giving you all another chance to re-write or send in another, UNLESS YOU HAVE ALREADY SUBMITTED ONE I APPROVED. Only one mystery allowed per Author. **

** Thank you. You may now enjoy the first chapter. I'm sorry I was kinda harsh. **

The plaque on the desk read _Lordoftheghostking28_. The leather chair was turned backwards, facing the wall decorated in newspaper clippings and framed certificates. All unsolved mysteries. All unsolved murders, break-ins, assaults…everything. All mysteries that the detective agency hoped to solve. The seemingly human figure in the chair was wearing a black trench coat over a black suit; a dark, wide-brimmed hat pulled over their eyes. The figure chewed on the end of a pipe, pondering the possibilities the future may hold. Their thoughts were interrupted as the door was thrown open and something hit the back of the chair.

"GhostKing! We need your help! Charmy's eaten fifty _Pixy Stixs_ and is in danger of exploding!" Vector shouted.

The figure sighed, standing up and turning, long black ponytail trailing behind her. She pushed her large dark glasses back up on the bridge of her nose and blew a bubble with the pipe. "_Again?_"

But Vector had already run back downstairs.

GhostKing sighed, slamming the pipe onto the ivory oak table and running after the croc. She found all three of the detectives downstairs, trying to catch Charmy as he hitched a ride on the fan; spinning around and around at breakneck speed.

"Espio, turn it off!" Vector shouted.

GhostKing sighed, sitting on the stairs and facepalming as her employees struggled with the hyper bee. The fan was switched off, but that didn't stop Charmy from beating his wings at unreal speeds and making the blades spin even faster.

"_WHEEEEE!_"

"GhostKing! A little help here?" Vector pleaded. "Go get the ladder!"

GhostKing jumped the rest of the stairs and ran behind the main desk, retrieving a small step ladder. Said object in hand, she set it up under the fan and attempted to pluck Charmy off of it as he spun around and around.

That was about when the tiny bell attached to the door to alert them when someone walked into the agency gave a small ring. Everyone turned towards the door, expressions of embarrassment on their faces (Except Charmy. He was still enjoying the homemade rollercoaster).

A fox walked into the Agency with a worried look on her face. She looked to be about 15 and had peach fur with a cream fox's tail. She wore blue sneakers, red gloves and a yellow T-Shirt. She also had blonde hair and sky blue eyes.

"Oh, detectives! I need help desperately!" she stated, biting her lip. "Antoine, Tails and a variety of other canines have just disappeared! Can you guys find them?"

All was silent for a few seconds. Even Charmy stopped spinning around on the fan.

"Wait…you want _us_ to solve your mystery?" Espio asked, looking shocked.

"Well, you did set out that TV!" the fox stated. "The one I nearly broke my neck over! And what do you mean, 'you want _us_?' Of course I want you on this case! You guaranteed it solved or you work for free! Besides, you're the only agency on this side of the world!"

She then did the most adorable puppy dog eyes trick the group had ever seen. "Please! It's just another case of kidnapping… I think. But I did find this!"

She held out a bag that was filled with a stun gun, microphone, frayed rope and a checklist with names on it. "I can't add up the clues but I have reason to suspect Robotnik or just some kind of undercover organization wanting canines." she states. "I'll be back with your pay later."

She suddenly facepalmed herself. "I forgot to mention my names Tamara Alto." she says sheepishly. Then, glancing around quickly, she runs out with a sonic boom; causing papers to fly everywhere.

"You know what this means, boys?...and GhostKing." Vector asked.

"_Pixie Stix_?" Charmy asked hopefully.

"Definitely not. We've got a job to do!" Espio let go of holding the stepladder, causing GhostKing to crash to the ground. "Let's get started."

"I'll check back later." GhostKing growled, getting up and rubbing her arm.

** XxXxXxXx**

"Just as I thought. No fingerprints of any sort." Vector said, brushing a pale powder over the stun gun's handle. "What have you found, Charmy?"

"This rope is thick!" Charmy said, pulling the frayed rope around the office. "And it looks like someone ripped at it to escape! I dunno, though."

"Look at this," Espio handed Vector the checklist with the names. "Tails' and Antoine's names are crossed out along with a few others. Tamara said they went missing, right? Is this a hit list?"

"Well, it's not a grocery list," Vector growled, turning his attention back to the stun gun. "Look there. Tamara's even on it."

"Everyone on this list is a canine."

"I'll file that under 'Obvious'. Charmy, give me that rope!"

Charmy handed it over and went to look at the only clue left, the microphone. "Hello!"

"…Hmm…Does indeed look like someone either bit or scratched their way out." Vector took a small light and shone it on the frayed rope end. A few splotches of glowing blue showed up. "Someone left traces of saliva."

While he was analyzing that, Espio retrieved the microphone from Charmy. It was a small boxy thing, almost like a walkie-talkie. Only a lot smaller. And with only a microphone. He grabbed a small screwdriver and began to loosen the screws.

The insides of the device were jumbled and smashed so tightly together that it sprang open as soon as the screws were removed, sending wires and pieces of its battery in all directions. Espio had just enough time to see a small light die out inside of it.

"It was still transmitting," He said. "And there's absolutely no hope of getting it back together again. Whoever built this was sure paranoid of being discovered."

"I'll file that under 'Obvious' again. Come on, guys. Does this add up to anything yet?" Vector asked.

"I think we should talk to that Tamara fox again." Charmy said. "She was pretty—I mean—she came to us with this mystery, so she should know more than everyone about this."

"I think we should do more than just talk to her. She's on this hit list too, remember? We should keep an eye on her. She shouldn't be alone at any time." Espio observed, staring at the abrupt writing on the piece of paper. Whoever wrote it had an almost illegible hand, the 'R's looking like 'TH's and the 'O's looking almost like 'S's. "We should also try to get handwriting samples. From her, to start."

"Guilty until proven innocent!" Charmy cheered.

"You reversed it," Vector sighed.

"Oh. Right. Innocent until proven guilty!"

** XxXxXxXx**

Tamara came back later that night with a wad of cash she had stuffed in a wallet. Although the three detectives were starved for money, GhostKing wouldn't let them accept it yet. They walked away, cursing their boss, and returned a few seconds later because they remembered what they were actually suppost to do.

"Tamara, is there anything else we need to know?" Espio asked.

"Like what?"

"Where did you find those items?"

"Inside Tails' house. We're friends…he invited me over to show me his new invention. But when I got there…" Tamara sighed. "the door was broken down and the inside rooms were demolished. An entire wall was also knocked down. Whoever was after him was desperate."

"So you found these things among the rubble?" Espio prompted.

"Yes."

"Any other clues?"

"For that, you'd have to see the house."

"TO THE HOUSE!" Charmy gave a loud battle cry.

GhostKing stayed behind to analyze the situation while Vector gathered up a few things he reasoned they needed. They set off in the early evening air down a few streets only occupied by couples watching the stars rise.

"I want a girlfriend." Charmy pouted.

"Forget it. They're too choosy." Vector said. "Besides, they would never approve of our dangerous, life-threatening careers."

"Hardly," Espio sighed.

Tamara lead them down a few streets, finally coming to a small house. The door looked as though it was propped back up just enough to evade suspicion, but to detective's eyes…it meant trouble. The four of them walked up to the door, where Tamara rapped lightly against the door, sending it falling backwards into rubble and debris.

"Whoa…"

The wall separating the small kitchen from the living room was completely demolished, furniture and electronics thrown everywhere and broken. It looked as though a small tornado had swept through the house. There was hardly a single piece of recognizable household items anywhere.

"This was worse than I thought." Vector muttered, fishing a flashlight out of the backpack he brought. He began to search the worst of the wreckage, Charmy grabbing two more flashlights from the pack and giving one to Espio.

Tamara stayed near the destroyed door, overlooking the entire demolished house. "I sure hope he's ok."

Vector almost said something, but thought against it. A hit list with a few names scratched out and a house that looked as though it was run through a blender…the fate of these targeted probably wasn't happy. Perhaps there was a killer on the loose.

"Look what I found!" Charmy cried. "Look! Look! I think it's a clue!"

Tamara still stayed near the back, watching as the three detectives crowded around the possible clue that Charmy found.

It was what appeared to be a strip of cloth. Red cloth. Probably from a coat, judging by the texture. Stuck to the fabric, there was a tuft of yellow and white fur.

"Is that Tails' fur?" Espio asked.

"More than likely. Perhaps this cloth belonged to the…um… kidnapper." Vector didn't really know how to gently voice his thoughts of 'crazy, psychopathic killer.'

"Who wears red?" Charmy asked, turning circles lazily in the air.

"Well, that's what we'll have to find out next." Espio said as Vector retrieved a small plastic bag from his backpack and put the cloth and fur in.

"Maybe GhostKing can give us some pointers for once." Charmy suggested. "What does she do anyway? All she does is sit in her study and stare at newspaper clippings."

"You know she's an undercover detective. She's probably working on another case." Espio said. "But who knows. She doesn't even trust us."

"And yet we trust her with _our_ money." Vector growled.

"She splits her checks too."

"Whatever. Let's solve this case. Hey, Tamara, do you know anyone who wears red? Or anyone who wears red who has something against canines…" Vector trailed off as he turned to see that she was not there.

"Tamara?"

The three of them rushed to the door, glancing around worriedly. Something huge above them moved in the sky, heading towards the forest in the distance. A shout came from it; a shout that sounded terribly familiar. "_SAVE ME!_"

"_Tamara_!"

The large whatever-it-was landed in the forest and silence took over the land. Espio stared at the ground, hoping to find anything that would help them get to the bottom of this. His foot was resting on a slip of paper.

He retrieved it and unfolded it to find Tamara's name…

…with a red slash across it.

** XxXxXxXx**

"There's no doubt about this any more."

"Why?"

"Because the kidnapper can only be one person. I just wish we had known sooner! It all adds up, anyway! The red cloth… the weird electronics… the UFO that kidnapped our client… it has to be Robotnik!" Vector shouted.

"But what does he want with a bunch of canines?" Charmy asked.

"I'm still trying to figure that out." Vector growled, pacing back and fourth across the demolished house.

Espio was about to say something when a unknown voice cut into their conversation.

"Well, one thing's for sure; there's no way we're getting in that battleship thing without more help."

The three detectives spun around to see Sonic standing in the doorway, leaning against the splintered frame. "I just wish someone had told me about this sooner. My best friend's been missing for a while and his house is trashed."

"Will you help us or not?" Vector demanded. "Because I think we should get a move on before something serious happens."

"Oh, I'm with you," Sonic gave them a thumbs-up. "Let's go!"

And so the four of them darted off into the dark forests, with little more than the flashlights for light.

**Meanwhile, aboard that UFO thing that abducted Tamara**:

Tails was sitting against a wall, staring around at the cell full of other captured foxes, wolves and dogs. It was pretty apparent to him why he was captured…but why the others? Why a bunch of canines?

Before he could answer his own question, the ground gave a loud rumble and began to move sideways.

** And back with the other guys**:

"There it is." Sonic said, pointing to the large dark shape in front of them. "I'll go make an entrance."

Sparks were seen along with the clangs of robots being smashed beyond repair. Within a few seconds Sonic gave a loud whistle, signaling it was clear. The three detectives rushed forward and into the battleship.

"Where's the cockpit?" Vector asked. "Or wherever this crazy guy is?"

"If we rescue those captured first, we may have a better chance of escaping." Espio suggested. "We should find them first."

"This way!" Charmy said, zooming off down a hall.

"Wait! Charmy! Don't get too far ahead!" Sonic called, chasing after him.

They ran along corridors, defeating the security robots that came along every so often. Deeper and deeper into the battleship they went, not pausing once until they came to a heavily guarded door.

"Aw, crud." Charmy whispered, taking in the many guards that were surrounding a steel door. "How are we suppost-"

One of the robots keeled over and exploded, damaging two others and sending the rest in a frenzy, shooting randomly and eventually hitting each other. Espio became visible among the wreckage, a ninja star held dangerously in his hand. "Come on."

Vector managed to force the door open and they entered into a large room, with hardly anything in sight.

"Help!"

The three detectives and supersonic hedgehog glanced up, where a large steel contraption was. Tamara was staring down at them along with Tails; terrified expressions on their faces.

"We'll get you down!" Sonic promised.

"No, you won't."

From the side of the room, a secret door opened and a large armor plated robot walked in. Where its head should be there was a dome of glass, and inside that dome of glass was Robotnik himself.

"Why do you want them in the first place?" Vector demanded, slamming his fist into his open palm.

"Isn't it obvious? Some of them rival my own genius. Those that don't make up for it with their amazing tracking ability. There was no way I could locate Rouge or Knuckles in this short amount of time, so I turned to the second best source of tracking down the Chaos Emeralds!" Robotnik laughed.

"We're not all bloodhounds!" Tamara growled.

"Well, your plan stops here!" Sonic shouted heroically.

"Is that so?"

"Well, yeah. You never win."

"Everybody hang on!" Espio shouted, throwing a ninja star at the top of the metal box. A cable snapped, and the entire thing crashed to the ground with an ear-shattering _SMASH_!

Vector tore the door off the prison and the captives inside swarmed out, either attacking the mad genius or fleeing to the exit.

"I have to admit, that plan wasn't half bad." Sonic shrugged. "Oh, well. I have an idiot to destroy." He spin-dashed into the dome of glass, shattering it and sending Robotnik crashing into a corner.

** XxXxXxXx**

"I can't thank you enough. Here's your pay…I hope it's enough." Tamara handed GhostKing the money she owed.

"It's more than enough. Thanks for the business." GhostKing tipped her ginormous hat.

"Tamara! Weren't you going to help me reconstruct my house?" Tails called from the main door. "I need someone to help me with the stupid electrical wiring!"

"Oh, yeah! See you soon, I hope!" Tamara waved at the detectives, running extremely fast towards the door, shutting it from the speed she was going at.

"Well, that went well." Vector said.

"Very. Good haul." GhostKing counted the money.

"I still want a girlfriend." Charmy pouted, staring after Tamara. "Even Tails has one before me…"

"They're friends, Charmy. There's a difference." GhostKing turned to head back upstairs, pausing at the top step. "Oh, you've got a letter." She threw it at them.

Vector ripped it open, reading the first couple sentances out loud.

"_ 'Hello Chaotix, I have a small issue...My aunt, Amy Rose, has been missing for several weeks. For some odd reason the police refuse to help…'_"

** XxXxXxXx**

** First mystery courteous of Tamara the Hybrid. Thanks for the adventure! I hope I made you happy! (Ending sucked, sorry…it's totally my fault…I suck with endings….)**

** Next up is BrownPaperBear's mystery…although no name has been sent in yet…**

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**


	3. Chapter 2: A Lost Rose

**CHAPTER 2, A LOST ROSE**

**Ok, another Author Note before we begin. (Thanks for the reviews, guys!) **

**Because I kinda get stressed out a lot there will only be a chapter uploaded about every week, maybe twice a week if I'm lucky. It'll keep me from rushing this out and getting stressed, and when I'm stressed I usually go run a lot, and that takes up time, so I get more stressed. Plus I've got two other FanFics I'm trying to work on, two YouTube movies and a couple DeviantART pics. Oh, and I'm signed up to run a marathon or something in a few days. **

**But don't worry, I'm still working on this!**

**This chapter is inspired by BrownPaperBear. It's quite awesome. BEGIN!**

" '_Hello, Chaotix; I have a small issue...My aunt, Amy Rose, has been missing for several weeks, and for some odd reason the police refuse to help. If you figure out what happened to her I will pay you with precious gems! Sincerely, Cinnamon the Bear._'" Vector read. "And she left her phone number."

"That's odd," Espio muttered to himself.

"Her phone number? What's odd about that? Hey, I just met you…and this is crazy…" Charmy began singing.

"Shut up, Charmy!" Vector knocked him out of the air, eyes still glued to the paper. "Why don't the police want to help?"

"Only one way to find out. Call her up." Espio reached for the agency's phone on the desk nearby.

"…BUT HERE'S MY NUMBER, SO CALL ME MAYBE! Hey, do you think she could be my girlfriend?" Charmy continued, completely unaware of what the other two detectives were doing.

The phone rang once, twice, three times before it was picked up by a female voice. "Hello?"

"This is the Chaotix Detective Agency," Espio said, putting the phone on speaker. "Is this Cinnamon the Bear? We received your letter. Can you enlighten us a bit more on this case?"

"Yeah, I'm Cinnamon. Well, I'm not exacally sure if it was a kidnapping, if that helps any." The voice started out. "She was leaving to visit her friend, Vanilla. And then she never came back. Vanilla said she never made it to the house. I've begged the police to help…I've talked to people who clamed to be private investigators. Nothing turned up. You're my last hope."

"When can we arrange to meet you?" Vector asked.

"Tomorrow at noon, at Westopolis' market…if that's not any trouble." Cinnamon said.

"Perfect."

**XxXxXxXx**

It was overcast and cloudy the next day, threatening rain. A few people were still milling about, walking in and out of stores and chatting with one another on the sidewalks. The three detectives met their client outside the market, exacally where she said she'd be.  
Her name was accurate. Cinnamon the Bear was cinnamon brown with hazelnut eyes. Her hair was a light brown, three inches past her shoulders in a ponytail with bangs swept to the side. She was wearing blue jeans and a red T-shirt.

"So you're the detectives?" She asked.

"That's us." Vector said. "So why exacally don't the police want to take this case?"

"I don't know. When I requested…the people I was talking to seemed scared. No, _terrified_. I have no idea why…they just brushed the case aside and showed me the door." Cinnamon widened her eyes at the three. "But you can help, right? I love my aunt…She's really not my true aunt, but my mom and her have been friends since kindergarten and she's like family."

"I'd like to start at the police station, if that's fine with everyone." Espio said. "We can start by re-filing the case under a different client. Charmy, you're perfect for this."

"Really?" Charmy beamed. "So what do I have to do?"

"Fly in, act heartbroken, and beg them to take the case." Cinnamon suggested. "I figure that's how I was."

"This is going to be easy!" Charmy turned circles in the air, resuming singing 'Call me Maybe'.

**XxXxXxXx**

"Help! Help! I need to file a case! This is important!" Charmy burst through the double-glass doors, nearly knocking someone down in the process. He flew up to the main desk, tears streaming down his face. "I need your help!"

"What is it?" The receptionist, a black cat, asked. "Are you hurt? Is someone after you?"

"No…my stepmom's gone! She went to her friend's house…and she hasn't come home in a long time! I'm scared!" Charmy wailed, sitting on the edge of the desk. "You've got to find her!"

"I'll make a record. What's her name?"

"Amy…" Charmy hiccupped. "Amy Rose."

The cat's fingers paused over her keyboard. "Amy Rose?" She repeated, eyes widening and a confused expression coming over her face.

"Yeah. A-M-Y. R-O-S-E." Charmy spelled it out.

"How long has she been missing?"

"A long time. A few weeks. I've been at my dad's." Charmy hiccupped again. "Can you find her?"

"One minuet…" The cat got up and headed into a door at the back.

The small bee wasted no time in flitting over to glance at her computer screen. Maybe this would be the only clue they would get in this case…maybe they won't be able to solve it at all. Charmy pushed that thought aside and began to speed read the screen.

A file was already filled out on the case. Names filled one side of the screen, and another was taken up by Amy's picture. Near the bottom was where the good stuff began.

In large red lettering along the bottom of the page were the words **CASE DISMISSED: DEEMED TOO DANGEROUS**.

Charmy just had enough time to fly back over to the side of the desk he was suppost to be on and choke up some more fake tears. The black cat came back, this time followed by a large bulldog that had to be the chief of police.

"Sir? Do you have any information?" Charmy gasped.

"Many submissions on this case have been filed. Don't worry, we're doing all we can do." The bulldog smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. An outright lie.

"Do you have any clues?"

"Not yet. But we'll get back to you as soon as we do. If you'd excuse us, we have some important cases to get on."

Charmy left the police station and flew a couple of blocks until he came back to the market, where the others were waiting.

"How'd it go?" Cinnamon asked nervously.

Charmy wiped tears from his eyes. "Well, I learned a few things. The black cat lady at the front desk left the file opened…a ton of people have alerted the station of Amy's disappearance. But at the bottom of the file were words that said, 'Case dismissed: deemed too dangerous' and the chief of police—who was a big, scary dog—said that they were working on it and he lied and now I'm mad!"

"They _lied_?" Both Cinnamon and the two other detectives exclaimed at the same time. "But…why?" Cinnamon stuttered.

"I don't know! I guess it's really dangerous!"

"Maybe something happened," Espio thought. "Maybe something so terrible happened that the police decided to stay away from the case."

"Amy's dead?" Cinnamon gasped.

"We have no evidence yet. She could still be very much alive."

"What if we look at the security tapes of the station?" Cinnamon blurted out. "That would provide us with information! Maybe we can see who else filed reports and we can go question them! Amy's not really the out-and-about type… she has a few close knit friends, but you make it sound like the entire town put up alerts."

"Yeah! The police guys made it sound like that too! And I do remember seeing a camera in a corner!" Charmy said. "So when do we break in?"

"Not so loud!" Vector growled. "We'll '_visit them_' tonight at twelve sharp. Cinnamon, I think you should be with us too. If we get caught, the blame's on us. But something tells me you have to see these tapes too."

"This is the craziest thing I'm ever going to do." Cinnamon groaned.

**XxXxXxXx**

"This_ is_ the craziest thing I'm _ever _going to do." Cinnamon hissed to the three detectives as they crouched down behind bushes outside the police station.

"Quiet," Vector hissed back, a small remote-like device in his hands. "Ok, it looks like no one's around. But once we get inside, stick to the right wall and don't move until Espio takes the cameras out."

The four of them crawled into a large air-conditioning vent, coming out into the main lobby. Espio seemed to vanish into the surroundings while the others hardly dared to breathe, their entrance concealed by a large leafy plant.

There was a small _zap_ and Espio became visible again. "Let's go."

They crept in the back room, where several more cameras and devices meant to keep intruders out were set up. Espio disposed of them almost immeadentally and they came to the room they had been meaning to reach.

"We should start at about five weeks ago." Cinnamon said. "I know most of the people in this town, so I should be able to recognize them."

Vector sat at the main computer, entering in a key and turning the clock back on the cameras five weeks. People milled in and out of the station, a few pausing to talk to the black cat on duty.

"Can you somehow skip until someone comes hysterically running into the building?" Charmy suggested.

Vector pressed the space bar on the keyboard and the figures onscreen began zipping around like popcorn kernels before being popped. Once someone came running into the station at unreal speeds he released the button.

"That's Amy's friend Tamara." Cinnamon said.

"We know her!" Charmy squealed.

They skipped for a while until someone else entered.

"That's Vanilla…the friend Amy was going to visit."

"Ooh, she's pretty!" Charmy said.

"Be quiet!" Vector growled, skipping some more.

Not three seconds passed on high-speed before someone else entered the station, dressed in black from head to foot. A dark hood was pulled up over their face.

"Who's that?" Espio asked.

"I have no idea." Cinnamon shook her head.

The four of them watched as the figure talked to the cat, finally leaning over the desk as to whisper something. The cat sprang up and ran for the back; the stranger still leaning over the desk. A few seconds later they straightened and headed for the door, only to be stopped by the bulldog that Charmy was talking about.

"I hate him!" the bee growled.

It looked as though they were yelling. The stranger never moved an inch as the chief threatened and gestured around, finally drawing his gun from his side. The black cat dived to the side and more police officers exited the door the bulldog had come from, gathering around the hooded figure.

"What…?" Cinnamon gasped.

The police men opened fired. Bullets struck their mark, not one missing. The figure lurched to the sides as the bullets pierced the cloth, but never fell. Looks of horror came over the officers' faces. The figure raised a cloaked arm, probably saying something, and then left.

"Jeez," Vector muttered, pressing the fast-forward button again. A few seconds into it, another figure came darting in. It was Cinnamon.

"So that guy beat me to them." She growled. "At least Vanilla and Tamara made it first. Maybe we can talk to them."

"Vector, go back to when the figure was being shot at." Espio said.

"Why? That was scary!" Charmy hid behind Cinnamon's back.

"All right. Why?" Vector began to re-wind the evidence.

"I thought I saw something."

On screen, the police men open fired, bullets finding their mark. The figure didn't fall, and looks of horror came over the policemen's faces. The figure raised a cloaked arm, probably saying something…

"Stop! Look! Right there!"

"Where?"

"There! In the hood!"

Vector paused the tape, leaning towards the screen and squinting. "I don't see anything…wait…"

"That's scary!" Charmy whimpered.

"Is that guy's eyes red _and glowing_?" Vector asked in disbelief, staring at the shadowed face. Two faint red orbs glared back, almost directly at the camera.

"That's not all." Espio pointed to the end of the sleeve on the figure's arm.

"That's not skin or fur…" Cinnamon whispered, eyes widened to their maximum.

"Is that guy a robot?" Charmy squeaked.

"That would be my best guess." Espio said calmly. "Now where would we find a robot?"

"Not here," Charmy squeaked again. "So can we go home now? This is scary!"

"We've seen everything of importance." Espio nodded. "Let's get out of here."

Charmy, Vector and Cinnamon exited the silent police station while Espio reconnected the cameras again. If all went well, they couldn't be discovered. As soon as their companion was back, they began at a fast pace back to the agency. "We can plan something at base." Vector suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Cinnamon said, still slightly scared from what they had just seen. "What if that guy really did kill Amy? What would I do?"

"We'll worry about that when the time comes." Vector decided at last. "We still have no evidence that she was killed."

"Yes, but-"

Cinnamon was cut off as something caught her attention. She stopped, staring down a dark alley.

"Cinnamon, come on! It's creepy enough out here!" Charmy whispered, taking hold of her ponytail and tugging.

"No, I thought I saw something…" Cinnamon stumbled backwards in a shriek as a dark shadow moved out from behind a crate, drawing towards her with surprising speed. Vector pulled her to the side and Espio threw a ninja star at the attacker, missing ever so slightly and hitting a fence. The shadow stood in the middle of the street, turning slowly to face them.

Its eyes were a glowing red.

"OH GOOD CHAOS, LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Charmy screamed, but Vector grabbed one of his clear wings and pulled him back.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

The shadow didn't move for a few seconds. Its eyes never blinked and seemed to stare down the group. Then it drew slowly closer, voice deep and threatening.

"_If you don't cease to interfere, you will be destroyed. This has nothing to do with you._"

"Yeah? Then why did you prevent her from finding her aunt?" Vector growled back.

"_That's classified,_" The shadow said before darting behind a row of houses, vanishing in with the night.

"Let's go home now!" Charmy whispered, shaking out of fear and unable to fly.

"That's not a bad idea." Espio retrieved his ninja star and the group practically ran the rest of the way back.

**XxXxXxXx**

"What if that guy finds us here?" Charmy panicked, racing around the room. "What if he kills us anyway? No one likes bees! Maybe he's allergic to me! What if he wants to kill my family?"

"Charmy, calm down! He's a robot…I think…robots aren't allergic to bees!" Espio growled.

Cinnamon sank into a nearby chair, still looking terrified. "I never knew this case would turn into something this severe…"

"That's what happens when you turn to us." An unknown voice said to her right, making her jump.

The humanoid figure in the dark trench coat chuckled. "We never have a normal mystery to solve. Just once I'd like to solve the mystery of the missing wallet. Or the missing cat. Anything but a murder and break-in combined. I'm GhostKing, Chaotix Agency's boss." She held out her hand to Cinnamon.

"Cinnamon…" Cinnamon managed to say. "Pleased to meet y-"

"GhostKing! You won't _believe_ what happened tonight! We broke into the police station and watched security movies and we came upon a major clue! There's a robot guy and he wants everyone to stop trying to solve the case because he said it's classified and he wants to kill me!" Charmy latched himself onto GhostKing's long black ponytail.

"Charmy! Get off!" GhostKing growled.

"Well, tomorrow we can talk to Vanilla. Maybe she can tell us what the police told her…or maybe she saw something no one else did." Vector sighed, watching his boss struggle to get the terrified bee off of her.

"Yeah. Worth a shot." Cinnamon yawned.

**XxXxXxXx**

It was late, and she was exhausted. Cinnamon awoke the next morning on the couch she had fallen asleep on in the Agency. The smell of pancakes was in the air and that was really the only reason she managed to get up.

GhostKing didn't join them for breakfast, so the three detectives plus their client ate everything they made. Stuffed to the point of not really wanting to move, they fell back asleep and awoke ready to finally start the day…at one in the afternoon.

Vanilla's house was quite nice; a beautiful white fence surrounded the entire property and the path to the front door was paved by many different types of flowers. Charmy went nuts, but luckily Espio managed to hold him back. Vector knocked on the light blue door and waited for it to open.

It was answered by a tall rabbit with long ears. She wore a yellow sundress and matching shoes. "Yes?"

"Uh….I….uh…" Vector said.

"You filed a case for Amy Rose, right?" Cinnamon pushed him out of the way. "I'm her niece…well, not really, but she sometimes calls me her ni-"

"You're Cinnamon, aren't you?" Vanilla smiled. "Yes, she's told me about you. What do you want?"

"The police have been refusing to file a case for me, or even tell me anything about it. As far as we know, you're the only one who managed to get to talk to them, besides Tamara."

"Yes, I know. They told me that they dropped the case because it was too dangerous." Vanilla sighed. "I really miss her. She's my only friend on this side of the world."

"Ask her about seeing anything suspicious!" Espio shouted from the front walk, where he was still struggling to keep Charmy from the flowers.

"Have you seen anything suspicious?" Cinnamon facepalmed.

"Like what?" Vanilla asked.

"Like…a cloaked figure. Sort of intimidating. About my height." Cinnamon estimated.

"No, why?"

"Cuz we're sort of sure that that guy has something to do with it and I don't want you to get hurt." Vector blurted out.

"That's sweet." Vanilla said with a smile. "But I'm sorry. I haven't seen anyone around like that, and-"

"I did."

Cinnamon glanced down to see what appeared to be a mini version of Vanilla in a orange dress. The little rabbit was holding a small blue and yellow Chao, which was happily eating a piece of fruit. "What's your name?" Cinnamon asked.

"Cream. This is Cheese."

"Chao!" Cheese said.

"So you saw someone?" Cinnamon asked.

"Yeah…I don't know who Amy is, but Mom said I would know her if I see her. But there was this girl walking down the street a while ago and this guy in black jumped out at her. I think they were playing, because they ran off together somewhere. I wanted to go too but I couldn't."

"Wait…what was this girl wearing?" Cinnamon asked.

"Red. She had a pink headband too. I think she liked pink a lot, because her fur was pink too. I think she was a hedgehog." Cream said, giving Cheese more food.

"Why didn't you tell me this?" Vanilla went completely pale. "Cream, this is important! That was Amy!"

"It was?" Cream looked up at her mother, completely innocent. "But I think she's still ok…I've seen that guy around too. He likes to hang out around the police station."

"Let's go, then!" Espio growled.

"Thank you for this information, Miss Vanilla! Cream, you too! This helped so much!" Cinnamon grabbed Vector's arm and pulled him away from the door. "Come on, snap out of it!"

Vanilla watched them go, an odd look on her face, Cream and Cheese waving goodbye.

"What happened back there?" Cinnamon demanded.

"She's…she's…" Vector managed to say.

"Even he has a girlfriend!" Charmy wailed.

"Maybe you don't because you have this obsession with flowers!" Espio hissed.

"All right, Vector, snap out of it! We need to solve this!" Cinnamon shouted, turning left and darting towards the police station. "Maybe we can do a stakeout. We can find this guy and bring him down!"

"Who knows how long this is going to take…" Charmy sighed.

**XxXxXxXx**

It was pitch dark. The detectives and their client could see the dark shadow hidden behind a few crates, like it was waiting for them to enter the police station again. They had been watching the figure for hours now, hardly moving or saying anything.

"How much longer?" Charmy whined.

"Forever," Espio and Vector said at the exact same time.

Not two minuets later did the figure move and exit the alley, pausing in the street before heading left at a fast pace. The four stalkers watched it go and then followed at a safe distance. The path it took was erratic, changing direction easily and never pausing once. Then it turned sharply right and veered off towards an abandoned building, leaping into a broken window without a sound.

"All right. We'll go in there tomorrow when it's watching the station." Espio said. "Hopefully Amy is in there."

"Hopefully," Cinnamon muttered.

**XxXxXxXx**

Just like the previous night, it was pitch black. The three detectives and their client were hidden in the half-dead bushes that surrounded the building, ready to solve this mystery. Vector jumped in the window first, Espio quickly following. After they signaled it was clear, Cinnamon and Charmy flew in after them.

The room was dark, barely any light shining in from the destroyed window. Vector shone a small flashlight around, but nothing gave the place away as a living space besides football-shaped footprints in the dusty carpet. They lead to a closed door.

The door lead down into darkness. Even Vector's flashlight didn't reach the bottom. He began slowly making his way down, the others following close behind. After what seemed like a year, they finally set foot on hard cement.

"This is scaring me." Charmy whispered nervously.

"Join the club." Cinnamon's voice shook.

A rustling noise made the group freeze. Espio clenched a ninja star in his hand, ready to attack the threat they couldn't see. Vector shone his flashlight towards the sound and they froze.

Tied to a chair was Amy Rose, a strip of duct tape covering her mouth. She squinted in the harsh light, trying to see who the intruders were.

"Amy!" Cinnamon cried, running towards her and undoing her bonds. "Are you all right? I can't believe we found you!"

As soon as one of her arms were free, Amy ripped the gag off her mouth. "We've got to get out of here. Metal will be back soon…he's set a trap for Sonic using me as bait! You triggered it…I won't be surprised to find him-"

"_I warned you._" The dark, low voice from earlier growled from the top of the stairs. "_Because you did not obey, you must die._"

An explosion blasted the four rescuers and the rescued off their feet. Vector's flashlight skittered into a corner and went out. Metal Sonic began descending the stairs, harsh red eyes scanning the basement and probably giving the group nightmares for months.

There was a slight thump and his arm seemed to twist itself back behind his body, spinning him into the wall and then sending him crashing down the rest of the stairs. Espio became visible from where he was standing on the stairs. "Come on!"

The group darted past the fallen robot, not bothering to cast it a glance. Cinnamon stumbled on the first step and felt a cold, hard hand wrap around her ankle.

"LET ME GO! LET ME GO! I'LL BASH YOUR UGLY FACE IN, TINMAN!" She screamed, kicking out with her other foot and striking Metal in the forehead, jerking his head backwards and causing a few circuits to snap.

"Cinnamon, lean to the right!" Espio shouted.

Cinnamon threw herself in that direction just as the soft and deadly whistle of the ninja stat missed her head and imbedded itself in Metal's hand, making him release her.

She scrambled up the steps towards the detectives and her aunt, where they slammed the door behind her and darted for the broken window.

"Vector! I'm scared!" Charmy wailed. "I don't want to die today!"

"You won't! Shut up!" Vector shouted, throwing him out the window first and diving after him.

The others were close to follow as a harsh splintering met their ears. Cinnamon risked a glance back to see the robot blast through the door, star still imbedded in his hand and head twitching a bit. He began to run after them.

"OH, CHAOS HE'S RIGHT BEHIND US!" she leapt out the window, landing hard on her knee. Metal followed, barely missing the bear as he slammed into the pavement. He got up, unscathed, as Vector slammed both fists into his head.

Metal flew backwards and hit the building, breaking the wall and flying further into it. Espio grabbed Amy's hand and began to drag her away from the building. "Vector, you take care of him! I'll get Amy somewhere safe! Cinnamon! Charmy! Come with me!"

Cinnamon turned and ran after her aunt and the detective, Charmy right behind her.

Vector meanwhile had entered the building where Metal had made a huge hole. He found the robot still standing, not looking the least bit damaged. "Are you sure you want to fight?" Vector asked.

"_I will destroy you._"

"All right, then, I take that as a 'yes'." The crocodile lunged at him, slamming him back into the wall. Metal smashed his foot into Vector's face, causing him to stumble backwards and lose his grip. The robot performed a flying roundhouse kick into his head, sending him backwards into another wall.

"_You cannot win._"

"But I can sure as heck try." Vector got unsteadily back on his feet, swinging at his foe. He hit Metal, sending him stumbling backwards slightly. But unfortunately, he took no damage and lunged at him. "_EXTERMINATE!_"

They flew out one of the few intact windows, Vector landing hard on his back and Metal skidding off a few feet to the left. They both stood, eyeing each other warily.

"Vector. I can handle this."

Vector glanced to his right, where Shadow the Hedgehog was suddenly standing. The detective sighed, he knew he was right.

"All yours," Vector said, tuning away.

Fierce battle sounded behind him as he made his way back to the police station, trying to weave his way through groups of curious people who wanted to see what was happening at the abandoned house. Even before he made it to the point of refuge, a loud cheer rose up from the spectators. Vector glanced towards them to see Metal limping awkwardly away, Shadow pursuing.

Inside the station was complete pandemonium. Interviewers were cornering Charmy and Cinnamon, Amy being questioned by the police and Espio was nowhere in sight.

"Oh, good. You're alive. Let's get out of here." Came the chameleon's voice to his right.

"You're _lucky _I'm alive." Vector growled.

**XxXxXxXx**

"I can't thank you enough," Cinnamon said happily. "This was the best adventure of my life! And my aunt's ok!"

"That was adventure? More like a death trap…" Charmy muttered, flying away from the group to hitch a ride on the ceiling fan.

"Oh, right. Your pay." Cinnamon emptied a handful of jewels onto the main table. "I hope it's enough…I go exploring caves sometimes and this is some of what I find. Well, the more beautiful ones."

"Wow…" Espio said, picking up a dark red gem. "I do believe this covers your debt."

"Thanks! See you soon! …Hopefully!" Cinnamon darted out the door, probably going to find her aunt again.

"That was one wacky adventure, all right." Vector sighed, picking up a diamond-like gem that gleamed the rainbow. Still holding it in his hand, he headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Charmy asked, spinning on the fan's rotors.

Vector paused slightly and then said almost inaudibly, "Vanilla,"

**XxXxXxXx**

**Oh, good Chaos, did I just write **_**romance**_**? Ha! And Sarah said I would never be able to! Anyway, there shouldn't be too much romance, just little hints and stuff and minor scenes of downright stupidity over a girl or something.**

**If you guys see mistakes, don't hesitate to correct me. I wrote this in a single day and I was all excited and hyper and dislexia isn't much fun. **

**Anyway, BrownPaperBear, I hope this made you happy! Even though Amy didn't die...**

**Next up, ****DIM666 – Insane Leader's mystery!**

**Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

**Lordoftheghostking28**


	4. Chapter 3: Hybrid VS Team VS Bank

**CHAPTER 3: ****Hybrid Vs. Team Vs. Bank**

**WHOOO I'M BACK! AND I MANAGED TO GET THIS DONE IN A DAY!**

**Ok, I've been real busy over these last few days, and this is literally my schedule: **

**Wake up at 9-10 AM, eat, do random exercises/run everywhere like crazy, lunch, go somewhere if I have to(If not, that's when I write stuff), do more crazy running around psycho, dinner, Star Trek/Star Wars/Lord of the Rings/Doctor Who/ reading random FanFics by people/ YouTube/write more stuff. Go to sleep at about 10:30 PM. Repeat. **

**My life is random. **

**Ok, anyway, AUTHOR NOTE BEGINS HERE! **

**Whoever the 'anon' is that sent in a story, I need a title, name and some clarification, otherwise I can't write your story.**

**Everyone else, you're good to go. **

**Ok, this chapter is inspired by ****DIM666 – Insane Leader. Here we go, BEGIN TRANSMISSION!**

Espio and Charmy were in one of the back rooms of the Agency, sitting on a couch and flipping through the channels on an old, clunky TV. Vector had wondered off to find Vanilla, one of the gems they were paid with taken by him as a present to her. GhostKing was nowhere around, and so far nothing interesting really happened since they solved the last mystery.

"Espio, I wanna watch football!" Charmy protested. "Go back!"

"No,"

"Then is there a show where it tells you how to get a girlfriend? I think we could both benefit from that!"

Espio cast him a murderous glare, but the small bee was too occupied with watching the channels flip by slowly. Espio sighed and handed him the remote. "Knock yourself out."

"Hurray! Football!"

Espio walked out of the back room and sat at the main desk, staring at the piles of undone bills and paperwork. But there was a red envelope that caught his attention. On the front of it, precise handwriting spelled out 'Chaotix Detective Agency.' There was no stamp, so the deliverer of this message must have dropped it off manually.

'_I don't know if you have noticed, but there have been…strange people…hanging around the banks around this part of town. They all wear gas masks and black, long sleeved shirts with dark pants. They aren't doing anything illegal; just walking around, taking notes of the bank's dimensions and security systems. This, to me, is a recipe for trouble. I have a feeling that they are planning something soon. Can you help me stop this threat before it starts? Or at least help me find out more about these people?_

_Meet me nearby the bank on Emerald Corner on this upcoming Thursday._

_Sincerely, Draken_

Espio read the letter over again, mentally cheering over another case but physically remaining stoic and taking in the details that this 'Draken' had written out. Letter in hand, he leapt over the desk without disturbing a single stacked bill and ran for the door.

**XxXxXxXx**

Vector and Vanilla were sitting side by side on the side of a large hill under a tall tree, watching Cream and Cheese chase each other through the flowers. Vanilla had loved the gemstone, and Vector was pretty sure he got her attention…finally.

"Cream would make a great detective." He remarked. "A great undercover detective, at that."

Vanilla chuckled. "She always said she'd like to raise Chao when she's older. I can't picture her working for the police force, or worse…for you." She smiled good-naturedly.

"…Hey." Vector said.

A few leaves rustled up in the tree before someone dropped down in front of them. Vector leapt up, startled by the sudden intruder. He was about to knock him out of the atmosphere when he realized it was just Espio.

"We've got another mystery," the chameleon said, holding out a red envelope that had already been opened. "We could stop a robbery before it happens."

"Can't you see we're in the middle of a date—I mean…" Vector growled.

"If sitting on a hill under a tree is now considered a 'date', then this envelope here can be considered a bomb. Now come back to the agency. We've got the rest of today to prepare for this next assignment."

Espio darted off again, leaving Vector, who was beginning to turn a bright shade of red. Vanilla stood, laughing at his expression. "It's ok. We should be getting back anyway. Cream! Come on, honey. Let's go."

Vector watched them go, looking rejected beyond belief. He trudged back to the agency, vowing to kill his fellow detective when he got the chance.

Upon opening the door, he found Espio sitting behind the front desk, filling out a couple of forms they needed to send out. Charmy was hovering nearby, bouncing light off the walls with a mirror.

"Why couldn't this wait until later?" Vector growled, slamming his fists on the desk.

"Because this is urgent." Espio said, not even flinching.

"This was my _only chance _with a girl, possibly the only one ever!"

"You made that sacrifice when you became a detective."

Vector stormed off somewhere, cursing under his breath and muttering death threats. Espio just shrugged and put the paper he was working on in an 'OUT' file. Charmy kept himself occupied with the mirror.

**XxXxXxXx**

The bank on Emerald Corner was mostly deserted, thanks to the gas mask wearing people wondering around the sidewalk. They didn't cease in their work as the three detectives approached, waiting for their next client.

It didn't take him long.

Draken wore blue jeans, a leather jacket and a T-Shirt with a Black and White image of Godzilla on it. He appeared to be a hybrid between a hedgehog and a human, his hair, back of his neck, back and legs were covered in dark red fur with a thick black stripe running down the middle of his hairline; splitting at the base of his neck. His hands had four fingers and a thumb such as a human, but were clawed and defined like a Mobian. He had no tail.

"You're the detectives?" He asked.

"That's us!" Charmy said, casting the intruders in the bank a worried glance. "Will they try to kill us too?"

"I don't know. They don't even seem to notice others when they're around. They just…measure and check every little thing in the banks. No doubt planning something very soon." Draken sighed. "This could be a wild goose chase, but I'm still willing to pay you handsomely."

"Right. Let's get started." Vector pushed open the door and entered into the bank, the others following close behind.

At least ten of the gas mask wearing people were inside, every feature hidden either by the mask or by black cloth. They didn't react in the slightest as they entered, just carried about their work as though no one was there. There were a few bank tellers, all of them watching the dark-clad people carefully. One of them noticed the new group. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, actually," Vector walked over to her. "How long have these people been here? And what exacally do you think they're doing?"

"Well…I guess they've been around for a few weeks," The teller said. "and all they do is examine every little corner of this bank's lobby, judging angles from the cameras and even taking pictures. Nothing's been stolen, though. We can't put them under arrest because they aren't doing anything the police define as 'bad'." She did quotations in the air at the last part.

"Any suspects?"

"No. We've never seen their faces, and it's always the same group."

"Have other banks reported their presence?" Espio asked.

"Most of them on this end of town." The teller said. "Maybe you'd have better luck with them."

**XxXxXxXx**

The next bank on Main Street was also under the security of the strange people. The teller could only say as much as the first, but one thing remained the same: all the strange visitors showed up around the same time. They also came to know that they arrived at the bank at ten o'clock sharp in the morning and left at six o'clock sharp in the evening.

"This is really beginning to scare me." Charmy muttered.

**XxXxXxXx**

The one other bank was also facing the same mystery. And everything about it was the same as the other two. Unexplained, and very mysterious.

Vector had tried to talk to one of the gas masked people, but they either ignored him or couldn't hear. He tried tapping one on their shoulder to get their attention, but they obviously outright ignored him.

"Perhaps we can resume this in the morning." Espio said, motioning to a nearby clock. "It's nearly six."

**XxXxXxXx**

The three detectives were seated around the main table late that night, pondering the bizarre case they had taken up. Well, Vector and Espio were. Charmy was entertaining himself with a mirror again.

"What if those people are really…robots?" Espio suggested.

"That would just be beyond creepy." Vector said. "I've had enough with robots to last me a lifetime. That last case was truly terrifying."

"Agreed. Let's never speak of it again."

"Fine with me."

The two of them continued voicing their thoughts while Charmy flitted about the room, occasionally bumping into a wall because he was so caught up in his reflection. "Why does my antenna stick up like that? Aaagh, maybe that's why I don't have a girlfriend…"

"You're _way_ too young to be fretting over that."

The group jumped and spun towards the staircase to see GhostKing at the top, 'smoking' her bubble pipe. "Did you happen to take a case over something about bank robberies?"

"Yeah, why?" Vector asked.

"Because you might want to turn on the TV."

The three of them darted for the back room, Espio switching the TV on and the three of them staring wide-eyed at the screen.

A blonde reporter was currently standing in front of the bank on Main Street, the bank itself in the background, a window broken and red lights flashing inside the building.

"-A break in approximately twenty minuets ago. We managed to catch footage, and if anyone has any information over this, please contact the police."

The image on screen was replaced by the inside of the bank. Someone was standing by the window, just staring inside. The person was wearing black, like the gas mask people, but this was a suit with a hood that hid their face. What looked like several extra arms protruding from his spine rose up at his side, smashing into the window and causing an alarm to blare. The robber jumped through the broken window and darted for the main desk. Within a few seconds, the camera went dead.

"It's Dr. Octopus from _Spiderman_!" Charmy whimpered.

"That was sure odd…" Espio muttered. "Was that a trick, or did that intruder really have extra arms?"

"Two looked like they had a knife attached to the end." Vector added.

The news on the TV switched to how high gas prices were rising to, and the three detectives turned away from the screen.

"Maybe we overlooked something," Vector suggested. "We'll check out the robbed bank in the morning. Hopefully Draken will know where we'd be."

**XxXxXxXx**

"What do you mean, '_Spiderman_'?" Draken laughed.

"I mean _Spiderman_ when I say _Spiderman_! Dr. Octopus broke into the bank last night! It was on TV!" Charmy protested. "He's scary in real life!"

Vector sighed, examining the glass shards and how they had fallen to the floor. He was looking for any traces of DNA; like blood. If the robber just propelled himself through the glass, he's bound to have injuries.

Espio was in the back, trying to find fingerprints on the safe. The bank estimated that about ten million dollars had been stolen in paper money and jewels, but it was as though a ghost had broken in. Not a trace of the robber was left.

And then Charmy was trying to convince Draken that a fictional character had robbed the place. Draken himself was in a fit of laughter, trying hard not to snort. He was still wearing the Godzilla shirt, leather jacket and jeans from yesterday.

"Ok, then…if it wasn't Dr. Octopus, then who else do you know with robot arms?" Charmy huffed.

"I thought that was your job." Draken shrugged, a huge grin on his face. "You crack me up."

"I can't find anything." Espio reported from back by the safe.

"Same here. Whoever this is…this guy is good." Vector sighed. "And just as I predicted…the gas mask people haven't shown up."

"What if they're still at the other banks?" Charmy suggested. "We should check them out!"

"Good idea."

The four of them set off, coming to the next closest one. Sure enough, the gas masked, black clad people were still there; milling about and writing down things on slips of paper. Vector walked up to one of the tellers. "I need to speak with your boss."

"If this is about a possible break-in, we've already got that covered. We're having guards protect this place for the next week or so." She said.

"Already thinking ahead, then. What kind of guards? What are they armed with?"

"Standard 9mm pistols and night vision glasses." The girl thought. "Possibly something else, but I think that's really everything of importance."

The other bank, too, was preparing for a possible break in. Time to see if the robber was as good as they thought.

**XxXxXxXx**

"Well, I'm happy to say it…we've got our bills paid off for the next few months." GhostKing said, reviewing a few pieces of paper. "And possibly some extra cash too once the other crap is paid off."

"Can we get a Wii?" Charmy asked.

"No. We're getting an X-box." Vector said.

"We're upgrading that TV." Espio retorted.

"No!" GhostKing facepalmed. "Go back to solving your case."

"But we need a bigger TV!" Charmy protested.

GhostKing went up the staircase, muttering things to herself about being stuck with a bunch of lovesick morons and a ninja.

Meanwhile, the lovesick morons and the ninja were gathering up their supplies and heading for the door. Vector would be watching one of the banks while Espio and Charmy watched the other. That way, they were bound to either catch the robber…or get an important clue.

All was quiet as Espio ducked down behind a bush, Charmy flitting around beside him. It was almost as though the night was too nice for a robbery. But the robber had other plans.

Within half an hour the robber began to creep around the side of the bank, black suit hiding their identity. The seven extra, arm-like extensions were raised as if to strike out at anyone who approached. Espio silently vanished into the surroundings and made his way over towards the robber, Charmy still concealed in the bushes.

The robber slammed into one of the bank's windows, shattering it and offering a way in. He flipped inside as the many bank guards began to rise up and fire, robotic arms destroying their weapons and sending them flying into a corner. As the last guard went down, he chuckled slightly to himself, walking calmly to the safe.

Espio ran after him, intending to lodge a ninja star between his shoulder blades and bring him down. The robber spun around, one arm catching Espio across the face and sending him stumbling backwards, visible again.

The robber didn't say anything, only ran forward at a surprising speed and wrapped one normal hand around Espio's throat, slamming him against the wall.

Espio still had the star in his hand. He raised it, but the robber's other arm knocked it out of his grip. He couldn't breathe…the world was beginning to go fuzzy…

"LET HIM GOOOO!"

The robber released Espio, stepping backwards in surprise as Charmy slammed into him, buzzing around angrily. But the robber simply knocked him to the side, where he hit the wall, unmoving.

"You'll pay for that!" Espio shouted, managing to grab hold of the suit the robber was wearing. He slammed one of his robotic arms into his stomach, sending Espio flying backwards into one of the teller's counters. He still managed to keep a hold on the suit, and had a piece of the black cloth in his hand. Just as he was officially losing consciousness, he could have sworn that he saw a glint of dark colored fur.

**XxXxXxXx**

"Espio! Are you ok?" Vector shouted. "Say something! Anything!"

"He's dead!" Charmy wailed. "Nooo! I can't believe it!"

"I'm…not dead…" Espio groaned, sitting up slowly. He was back at the agency, lying on the couch they had nearby the TV. "What happened?"

"When the robber didn't show up, I went to where you were hiding out. Everyone inside the bank was knocked out, you and Charmy included. I thought we'd evade a ton of questions and suspicion if I just grabbed the two of you and left." Vector said. "Glad you're all right, by the way."

"I managed to get this." Espio unclenched his fist, where the piece of black cloth still was. A single longish strand of hair was on it, dark red.

"This is a major clue!" Charmy concluded. "Maybe….Ummm….maybe Rouge did it!"

"Somehow I don't think so." Vector said. "But there's only one way to find out. We should investigate the scene of the crime again. Up to it, Espio?"

"I'm fine," The chameleon said. "Let's go."

**XxXxXxXx**

Draken caught up with them a few hours later, looking out of breath and worried. "There you are!"

"Where else would we be?" Charmy asked. "Dr. Octopus struck again!"

"Yeah, I can see that…" Draken glanced around the bank. "Was anyone hurt? That'd be terrible…"

"I think no one was seriously hurt…" Vector shrugged. "but still…this is getting out of hand. We should visit that other bank again…give them some tips on upgrading security or something."

"You go and do that. I need to check back on my girlfriend. She's been sick lately, and sort of lonely. I'll catch up later." Draken waved, and left.

The three detectives began making their way towards the bank, Charmy talking nonstop the entire journey.

"Man, even he has a girlfriend! What's he have that I don't? I can be manly too! I would check on my girlfriend if she was sick! …If I had one, that is. But we would go to movies and everything and eat ice cream! It's be fun! Why don't they like me?"

"As GhostKing said, you're way too young for this!" Espio growled. "We're almost there. Shut up for three minuets."

As they approached the bank, they were met with a terrible sight. People were running from their place of destination, screaming and shouting for the police. Something crashed inside the bank.

"I think our robber just struck again." Vector said, running towards the bank's door.

The robber was inside, holding up two bank tellers with a small pistol as they shoved cash into a bag. He turned and caught sight of the detectives, robotic arms glinting dangerously in the light. In the background, several mask-wearing people stood, not moving or seeming to know what was going on.

"Hold it!" Vector growled, darting for the robber. "This ends here!"

The robber turned, gun now trained on the crocodile. "Don't move."

"Or what?"

The closest teller had grabbed a large steel box full of cash and threw it as hard as she could at the robber, striking him hard in the back of the head. He fell to the ground, groaning. This bought the detectives enough time to unmask their culprit.

"_Draken?_" Charmy asked, horrified. "You're Dr. Octopus?"

"It all makes sense, though." Espio smirked. "Once I ripped that fabric from your suit, you knew you had to hurry up the robberies before we caught onto you. That dark red hair belonged to you, didn't it? And the deal with the leather jacket…to hide your extra arms, correct?"

"So what?" Draken growled.

"Somehow I don't think you have a girlfriend anymore!" Charmy accused.

"But I'm by far the richest person in this world!" Draken stood, robotic arms nearly succeeding in bringing down the detectives had a bullet not lodged in one.

"What…?" Draken shouted, fear in his eyes.

"Don't move!" A shout came from outside the bank. Several police officers ran in, guns at the ready. One ran up and hurriedly handcuffed Draken and tied his robotic limbs together.

"Hey…! Where's the mask people?" Vector exclaimed. They had vanished in the sudden commotion.

"Oh, they're long gone. I hired them, of course. But none of them would ever think to cause trouble unless paid a generous sum." Draken smiled evilly. "I would have succeeded!"

"But you didn't!" Charmy mocked.

"There's always next time!" The bandit shouted as the police lead him away. "I'll succeed next time!"

"Just keep on believing that." Vector sighed.

**XxXxXxXx**

"Aaagh! We never got paid by Draken!" Charmy screamed, flying in circles. "We're broke! Nooo!"

"Yes, you did." GhostKing appeared, holding a thick envelope. "You actually get some of the money he stole. Courtesy of the banks themselves."

"Awesome! This wasn't a complete waste of time!" The bee grabbed the money envelope and tore it open, raining bills everywhere.

"Charmy!" Vector roared, grabbing the money as it fell out of the air.

"I also got one more thing for you." GhostKing held up another envelope. "Up to it? It feels like a mystery to me."

"We're gonna be rich!" Vector exclaimed, taking the envelope and ripping it open.

_My name is Reece, and I need your help desperately. There has been a murder…_

**XxXxXxXx**

**That's all Folks! (For this one, anyway.)**

**I hope this wasn't as bad as I thought it was when I was writing it. **_**Spiderman**_**? Seriously? Oh well… did you like it, DIM666 – Insane Leader?**

**Next up is Shadow12517's mystery! (First murder one, Yey!)**

**Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

**Lordoftheghostking28**


	5. Chapter 4: Curiosity Killed the Fox

** CHAPTER 4: Curiosity Killed the Fox.**

** EVERYONE! IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! I HAVE MORE MYSTERIES THAN I CAN KEEP TRACK OF! SO SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED NOW, UNLESS YOU MANAGE TO CONVINCE ME. WHEN I FINISH THIS SERIES, OPENINGS MIGHT BE OPEN AGAIN. MAYBE. ONLY IF I GET A LOT OF REVIEWS.**

** This chapter brought to you by a WORD 2007 document, GhostKing, electricity, the Internet, FanFiction and Shadow12517. We all hope you enjoy the murder…I mean, mystery.**

** Oh, one more thing…Sally is EXTREMELY OOC, as far as I can tell. I don't really know who she is, and I'm trying my hardest after reading I think 2 FanFics with her in them. All I know is she's a princess and a chipmunk or something. But I tried. Really. Don't kill me for this. *Dodges bullets***

It was early that morning. The light purple hedgehog was taking her morning walk around the neighborhood, just listening to the birds singing and letting her worries fly away. There wasn't a single light on in any of the houses…except one near the back. Its light just flashed on. Someone was cleaning the room. The hedgehog didn't recognize who it was, as she was certain the resident of the house didn't need to hire anyone to keep their house tidy. But then again, lots of people had maids.

The hedgehog kept on walking.

A bit later that morning she had to retrace her steps because her wallet had gone missing. It was in front of the odd house with the maid, as though trying to signal something to her. She picked it up, eyeing the house warily. There was a bang, like something falling down inside the house.

She approached the house, feeling stupid. "Hello? Are you ok? It sounded like something fell over…"

The door opened easily. The hedgehog almost fell face first into the house. She stood, feeling slightly scared. But something seemed to be calling her to the back…

She rounded a corner just in time to see someone disappear into the woods. She caught no feature, she just knew that whoever it was, was in a hurry.

Then she noticed the body lying on the ground.

** XxXxXxXx**

___My name is Reece, and I need your help desperately. There has been a murder that I would rather not get caught up with the police in. I was taking my morning walk and something in a house caught my attention. I went to the front door to ask if whoever was inside was ok, and the door wasn't even latched. I went to the back just in time to see someone slip into the woods. Then I saw the murdered. Meet me on Oakdale Street at twelve PM sharp and I'll explain everything_.

"Why are we so popular all of a sudden?" Vector wondered, setting the envelope down. "I mean, it's like we're celebrities or something!"

"We'll worry about that later. We need to gather up supplies and head out there." Espio grabbed a backpack nearby and threw a couple of flashlights in.

And so, the three detectives set out at quarter to twelve.

Their client was leaning against the Oakdale Street sign, looking nervous and worried. When she caught sight of them, she leapt up. "I'm Reece. You're the Chaotix Detective Agency, right

Reece was a light purple hedgehog with brown eyes and sky blue stripes. She wore Capri's and a white (non see through) tee shirt with a feather on it and an owl necklace. She was still sort of nervous, glancing back and fourth down the street.

"That's us. I'm Vector, he's Espio, and the annoying one is Charmy." Vector said.

"Hey!" Charmy pouted.

"You reported a murder?" Espio asked.

"Yeah…I think it wasn't even five hours ago, either. I'll lead you to the house. I think we're the only ones who know about this at the moment, and I would prefer to keep it that way. The police can be too nosy." Reece pointed down the street. "It's actually not that far."

The four of them headed off, walking a few blocks to a brick house at the end of the street. It seemed innocent; no one would suspect a murder had taken place inside. Reece pulled up the front mat, taking a small key out and inserting it into the lock. Inside was dark, the windows not letting in much of the daylight inside. There was a harsh smell to the air, like cleaning supplies. Reece flipped on a few lights, the detectives glancing around warily, like they suspected the body to just be lying in the middle of the room.

"The murder actually took place in the back. Um…is he a little young for this…?" Reece cast Charmy a look, where he was staring at himself in a nearby mirror, completely oblivious to everything.

"How bad is this?" Espio asked.

Reece made a finger gun and pretended to shoot herself in the face. Vector turned and said, "Charmy, stay here. There's robots in the back."

"_Robots_?" Charmy wailed, grabbing onto a lamp and sliding into the shade.

"But don't worry, we'll take care of them."

"Ok. I'll stay here and guard this nice lamp."

Reece, Espio and Vector walked into another room, where Reece flipped on another switch. In the middle of the room was the murder victim, sprawled out on the carpet as though surprised to be dead.

"Her name is—was— Fiona Fox, and that's really all I know." Reece shuddered. "Well, that and I'm pretty sure she was shot in the face."

Espio knelt next to the body, trying to judge how the murder must have taken place. "She wasn't shot lying down like this, that much is certain. Her body position hints that she was standing when shot…but if that was what happened, then why isn't this murder more…messy?"

"…Should've blown her brains out?" Reece cringed, turning a slight shade of green. "I'll be right back."

She ran off, probably to find a bathroom.

"Are the robots gone?" Charmy called.

"No. They kidnapped Reece. I'll get her back, though." Vector shouted.

"Ok." Charmy said.

"What I don't understand is the amount of blood. There should have been a lot more…" Espio said. "Look. It's only pooled around her head. It should have been all over this back wall and-"

"I get it, I get it! I don't want to end up like Reece!" Vector growled.

"Is she dead?" Charmy wailed from the other room.

"Um…sort of."

Reece staggered in the room, still looking disgusted and terrified. "I'm ok." She assured.

The doorbell rang, causing them to jump. "Who the heck could that be?" Vector asked out loud.

"Only one way to find out." Espio crossed over to the door, opening it.

"Espio?" Came the confused voice that could only belong to one person.

"Sonic?" Espio was equally surprised.

"What are you doing here?" Sonic asked.

"Solving a mystery. One that doesn't concern you. Please remove yourself from the crime scene immeadentally-"

"Crime scene? What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Let me in!"

Sonic pushed his way into the house, catching sight of Vector and Reece and giving them an awkward wave. "Hi, guys. What are you doing here…." He trailed off as he caught sight of the murdered. "Good Chaos…"

"Do you have any idea how this could have happened?" Vector asked. "Anything will help. We need all the clues we can get. Someone went though a lot of trouble to not draw attention."

"I was literally just coming back from fighting Robotnik…took a while too; I've been gone since six this morning. I was coming over here because…" He trailed off.

"Espio, confirm this with Robotnik. That way we can get these two off the suspect list." Vector said.

Espio nodded, running out the front door in a blur. Sonic was still staring at Fiona's dead body, horror in his eyes. "Why would someone do this…?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Vector sighed. "But don't worry, we're going to solve this if it takes a year."

** XxXxXxXx**

"What did Robotnik say, Espio?" Vector asked as the chameleon darted back into the house.

"Well, it took a lot to get to him." Espio gasped, sarcastically. "He had a whole army of robots waiting for me, which wasn't a slight probablem. I managed to steal a gun from one and use that as a weapon if he didn't want to talk. He screamed like a girl and confirmed what Sonic told me. They're both innocent."

"Good. Less suspects, the better."

Sonic was sitting on a nearby couch, staring at the white sheet that covered Fiona's corpse. Vector had covered the murder after Charmy had wondered into the room, luckily not seeing the crime scene. He was currently flying around a light, singing 'Call me Maybe'.

"These last few days…something's been going on with Amy. Well, ever since she was recovered from being kidnapped…she's been acting..._weird_. I don't know if this helps you at all, but something about it is just…" Sonic trailed off again.

"I'll call her. On second thought, we should pay her a visit. We can search her house for possible weapons." Vector said. "As much as I hate to think that one of our past clients is now responsible for something this horrible, everyone is still a suspect. Thanks for telling us this, Sonic."

Reece locked up the house, taking the one key with her. The three detectives, their client, and the supersonic hedgehog made their way across town, finally arriving at Amy's house.

The door was opened by Cinnamon the Bear, a past client. She smiled widely. "Haven't seen you in…like, three days! What are you doing here?"

"We need to speak with Amy. Is she around?" Espio asked.

"Yeah. We were making cakes. My mom's birthday is in a day." Cinnamon held open the door so they could all enter. "Who're you?" She asked Reece. "I'm Cinnamon."

"I'm Reece the Hedgehog."

"Why are you with these three?" Cinnamon asked brightly.

"There was a murder."

Nothing could destroy the happy, light atmosphere faster than those four words. Cinnamon's eyes widened with horror. "Oh…I'm sorry…"

Amy came into the front hall, a look of question in her eyes. "Why are you all standing in my house like that?"

"We need to ask you a few questions, Miss Rose." Espio said. "Concerning…an unfortunate accident. Is there somewhere we can speak privately?"

"Sure…Why?"

"I'll explain." Espio said, leading her away from the group. Cinnamon returned to the kitchen, where the smell of cakes baking overwhelmed the place. Vector and Charmy began to poke around, opening drawers and searching a closet.

"What are we looking for?" Reece asked.

"A gun, probably a pistol, standard firearm." Vector said. "Can you check the upstairs?"

"Uh…yeah…sure." Reece said, quietly making her way up nearby stairs. _This is very not weird_…

The upstairs was small, with a tiny hall connecting to a bedroom and a bathroom. She entered Amy's room and silently pulled open a drawer on her dresser. Nothing but socks and gloves. The other drawers were either filled with clothes or junk drawers that held no useful items in a murder.

The closet was the same, nothing but dresses and various types of shoes. Either Amy was very good at covering up a killing, or she was completely and totally innocent.

Reece slipped back downstairs just as Amy and Espio returned; Amy looking horrified and on the verge of tears.

"She's innocent. Cinnamon confirmed it." Espio said. "They were here the entire day."

"I _knew_ Fiona," Amy whispered. "I can't believe something like this happened!"

Vector sighed; it seemed like everything unfortunate was happening to Amy these days. "Rest assured, we'll bring this killer to justice."

"Thank you. For everything." Amy sighed.

"Just one more thing before we go," Vector said. "Do you know anyone else who could possibly have a motive to kill her?"

"I was talking to my friend Sally this morning before Cinnamon came, and she just began ranting on about how much time Sonic spent with Fiona and not with her or even me. I myself was slightly upset, but she was in the bad mood of all bad moods. Sorry, Sonic, but you might want to avoid her for a while." Amy blushed, casting Sonic a glance.

He avoided eye contact with her.

"Thanks. We might be checking in with you later." Espio said, heading towards the door. "I think we have someone else to talk to."

** XxXxXxXx**

"Pizza delivery!"

"Shut up, Charmy!" Vector growled, knocking on the door. "Sally! You in here? We need to talk to you!"

"Hi, Sally!" Sonic called.

The door opened quickly after that.

"Hi, Sonic…What brings you here?" she asked.

"These guys. We need to talk to you." Sonic said.

"Oh, ok. If you want to stay later, it's ok with me." She smiled, opening the door to allow the visitors inside.

"Ok, we'll distract her, you go search the house!" Charmy whispered to Reece. "That's the plan, ok?"

"Got it." Reece nodded. The others walked into the main living room while she found the staircase and darted upstairs. There was a small table against the wall, a jug of cleaning solution underneath it and a tiny mirror above the whole setup. The table had a drawer, so Reece started there.

She nearly jumped backwards when she realized what she was looking at.

A small silver pistol was tucked neatly away behind some papers, as though it was hurriedly stuffed back in instead of carefully sealed away. Reece shut the drawer and made her way back downstairs as carefully as she could.

"Where were you at approximately five o'clock this morning?" Vector was asking.

"My house, asleep. Who gets up at that hour?" Sally asked, sounding like she was about to laugh.

"Apparently a killer does. Do you know anyone by the name 'Fiona Fox'?" Espio asked.

"Yeah. I hate her."

"Do you hate her enough to murder her?"

"One time I was so mad I wrote a story, put her in it, and killed her. But in real life, no. I'm not crazy."

Reece got Charmy's attention and whispered what she had found out in his ear.

"I found a gun upstairs. Tell Vector, and then we can-"

"A GUN?" Charmy screamed.

Everyone in the room cast him a startled stare. Reece facepalmed.

"Where?" Sonic asked.

"REECE FOUND A GUN UPSTAIRS! RUN EVERYONE! THE KILLER IS IN THE HOUSE!" Charmy darted for the window, flattening himself on the glass.

"You went looking through my things?" Sally growled.

"Um…detective business…" Reece squeaked, backing up towards the door as though Sally would attack her.

"Charmy, bring the gun down here." Espio said.

"Uh…ok…" Charmy came back a few seconds later, holding the small pistol like it would explode.

"Is this yours?" Vector asked Sally.

"Yes."

"Have you used it recently?"

"Of course not. I only keep it in case someone tries to break in."

"Do you mind if we bring this to the crime scene with us?"

"I don't care. It wasn't me. And I want to see this murder." Sally decided. "Maybe I can be of some help."

"It's kind of classified…" Vector said.

"And yet both Reece and Sonic have seen it." Sally hissed.

"All right, fine."

** XxXxXxXx**

It was nearly seven o'clock that night when they made it back to the crime scene. Sally could only stare in horror at what the murderer had done while the others went about the house trying to find anything they overlooked before.

Nothing turned up.

"This gun could have easily fired the kill shot." Espio declared from where he was analyzing evidence with the gun they had found in Sally's home.

"I'm telling you, it wasn't me!" Sally shouted. "Someone could have easily owned the same model of bullets."

"Still no solid lead on this case…" Vector sighed, watching Charmy as he circled around a nearby lamp again.

The doorbell rang loudly, making everyone in the house jump. Reece pulled the door open to find a large purple and white cat standing outside, gardening tools and gloves in his hands.

"Is Miss Fiona here? I'm suppost to weed her garden for her." He said.

"Um…yeah, but she can't come to the door right now. You can get started." Reece said.

"Ok." The cat walked around front to the garden, where he got to work.

"What's he doing here?" Sonic asked.

"I don't know. I've never seen him in my life."

"Call him in here! Maybe he knows something." Vector shouted.

"Hey, you! Come here for a second!" Reece called.

The cat lumbered into the house, where the detectives met him. "This may come as a shock to you, but Fiona's been murdered. Do you know anything about this…or better yet…do you know who could have done this?" Espio asked.

"She's dead?" The cat managed to say. "Oh no…"

"Do you have any information for us?" Espio asked again.

"No…" The cat managed to say, looking terrified.

"Then you can go home. We'll find this killer, believe me." Vector said.

The cat stood in the doorway for a few more seconds, staring at the ground. He walked back towards the door, saying, "Smells clean in here."

Reece took a step backwards. The air _did_ still smell like cleaning supplies. She pulled open the nearest closet and stared inside of it. There, sitting on the ground, was a jug of disinfectant cleaning spray, probably the cause of the smell. There was something important about it, though.

An identical jug had been in Sally's house, under the table in the upstairs hallway.

"What are the chances of both Sally and Fiona to have the same brand of cleaning supplies?" she asked.

"I wouldn't buy the same kind she does." Sally growled.

"Then explain why an identical bottle of this stuff was in your upstairs." Reece pointed. "Once I think about it, that cat was too big to be leaping out windows and darting into woods. Amy doesn't seem the type to murder and flee the scene, but you…you hated Fiona and you're quick on your feet. You killed her."

"What? That's outrageous!" Sally laughed nervously.

"You cleaned up the murder scene, didn't you? This was way too clean for a gunshot-caused death…you tried to erase evidence." Espio drew a ninja star.

"Why would I do that?"

"You didn't even deny owning a gun!" Charmy accused. "GET HER!"

Vector grabbed and twisted Sally's arms behind her back, keeping her from running. "SONIC! STOP HIM! YOU KNOW I DIDN'T DO THIS!"

"Sorry, Sally…but somehow I did." Sonic turned his gaze to the floor.

** XxXxXxXx**

"Sally's got a life sentence, doesn't she?" Charmy asked.

"Yeah. She's never getting out of prison." Espio sighed.

"That was terrifying." Reece whispered. "We were with the murderer half the time! We're lucky to be alive!"

"I guess you could look at it that way." Sonic agreed.

"Oh, that's right. Your pay!" Reece drew out a small wad of cash. "It's all I could manage to find…I hope it's ok…"

"It's fine. Don't worry about it." Vector said.

"Thanks for helping me! I'll visit sometime…maybe!" Reece gave a happy wave and left through the doors of the agency.

"The police are cleaning up the murder scene now, right?" Charmy asked.

"They already did it. Although something tells me that house will never sell as long as people know what happened in there." Vector sighed, stashing the cash in a safe. "Another mystery down. This was one I was glad to solve."

"Would you be glad to solve another?"

The group turned their eyes on their boss, who was sitting on the bottom stair. She waved a singed piece of paper in the air.

"Here we go again!" Charmy cheered.

"It's from Gnorcteen, whoever that is." GhostKing handed the singed letter to the hyper bee.

** XxXxXxXx**

** Gnorcteen's mystery coming soon!**

** Anyway, I'm really cracking down hard on the mystery sending-inning now. I have reached my limit, and I will only accept a select few now. Please do not be discouraged if your mystery hasn't shown up yet and you sent something in already, your story is being written. But everything sent in after this chapter is up will be taken into consideration, but possibly not written up.**

** Hope you liked it, Shadow12517!**

** I'm sorry, I still have no idea on who the heck Sally is. I will do research. **

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**


	6. Chapter 5: Hardware Hacks

** Chapter 5: Hardware Hacks.**

** Brought to you by Gnorcteen, GhostKing, SEGA, the Internet and electricity. Also a laptop. And lots of free time. **

** I hope you like it, Grock!**

** MARATHON THING TOMORROW! I GET TO FREAK OUT AND RUN A LOT!**

** And so begins the story….**

Gnorcteen, or Grock, had a rather unusual case indeed.

He was an inventor, and one of his inventions had gone crazy due to a strange computer virus. Grock managed to contain his creation in his house, but there's no doubt that everything inside his home was destroyed.

"A Weegee virus?" Charmy asked, staring at the letter. "What's that?"

"Apparently it's a creepy version of Luigi from those _Mario_ games, only he shoots lasers from his eyes." Vector said, handing the letter to Espio. "See what you make of it."

"I think we need to meet this guy." Espio said. "Something tells me that he's not serious. A Weegee virus? Somehow I don't think so."

"That's what the police said." A voice sighed from the doorframe. The detectives turned to see a large, muscular frog wearing geekish Greek armor. "I'm Grock. And believe me, I'm not making this up. We need to somehow stop this…and the person responsible for this virus…before it spreads to all the computers and robots out there."

"Did you say, 'robots'?" Charmy squeaked.

"Charmy, relax." Vector growled. "All right. Show us your invention that's going crazy. We might be able to do something."

"If you ask me, we should get someone else with knowledge about viruses and insane inventions." Espio said. "Tails could be a huge help in this case."

"I've already contacted him." Grock said. "My friend knows him and suggested I talk to him before I turn to you. As far as I know, he's got trouble with the same virus. For the past few days all he's been doing is sitting at one of his many computers, wrestling with the Weegee virus and trying his hardest to keep it away from his inventions."

"We'll worry about him later. Let's see your infected invention." Vector said, heading for the door, the others following.

Grock lead them down a few streets, finally turning down a small neighborhood and coming to the final house. There was a loud crash from inside, making him cringe. "If that was my refrigerator, I'm going to be mad."

"This is scary." Charmy whispered.

"Is there a way for us to get in somehow?" Espio asked.

"Through the upstairs windows." Grock pointed to the top of the house. "But I wouldn't recommend going in. That thing will probably kill you. I've already tried switching it off…but the virus keeps it from shutting down. It's my worst nightmare." He sighed.

Espio grabbed a low-hanging tree branch and began to climb the tree, reaching the height of one of the windows in the upper story. He leapt onto the gutter, nearly falling backwards, and managed to open the window and slip in.

"I'm not responsible for any death the Weegee virus causes, right?" Grock asked nervously.

"Don't worry about him." Vector shrugged. "He can handle himself."

From inside the house came a loud, evil shout of, "_YOU MUST DIE_!" That was followed by a harsh beeping and another shout of, "WHAT THE FU-"

An explosion shook the ground. Smoke began to pour out of the windows.

"…Jeez." Vector managed to say. "What the heck did the virus take over, exacally?"

"A robot I made that would help me with cleaning up my house. Unfortunately, it's doing the opposite. I had it charging, plugged into my computer, and then on its facial screen, Weegee's head appeared and screamed, 'You must die!' at me, somehow grabbing a nearby crowbar and coming at me. I barely managed to escape and get to the police station, but they didn't believe me." Grock facepalmed. "I bet this case wins the award of 'weirdest case ever'."

"Pretty much, yeah." Charmy said, watching the house nervously as smoke continued to curl out the windows.

After what seemed like forever, the upstairs window opened again and Espio crawled out, coughing and covered in soot. "I hate _Mario_ games." He growled, jumping off the roof and landing ninja-like on the ground. "That thing is vicious. It came at me with a Crock Pot and a rolling pin, shouting, 'spaghetti!'."

"Yeah, the Weegee virus does that." Grock was still facepalming.

"How the heck are we going to get close to it?" Charmy asked.

"We could all go at it at the same time." Vector suggested. "We might be able to confuse it enough to bring it down."

"It's worth a shot." Grock nodded. "All right…Espio and Charmy can enter through the upstairs, and Vector and I'll take the downstairs. I'll announce when we strike."

"Something tells me this won't end well…" Charmy muttered, but he followed Espio up to the higher windows.

Grock and Vector entered the house through the front door, relieved to not find the 'cleaning' robot waiting for them. Smoke lingered in the air, along with the unpleasant smell of burning electronics. Random things were scattered all over the room, mostly from the recent destruction. They crept slowly though the floor until they entered the kitchen.

The robot was as tall as Vector, with an old TV as a face. Its body was what appeared to be a refrigerator, and its limbs were constructed with wiring and hard, metal pipes. It turned, thankfully not spotting them. Weegee's face was creepily displayed over the TV, his eyes red.

The robot had three fingers on each hand, and currently one hand was holding a rolling pin and the other a Crock Pot. It picked up a container of spaghetti and dumped it into the Crock Pot, missing the pot almost entirely.

"I hope the others are nearby." Grock whispered. "_ATTACK_!"

They leapt at the robot, Espio and Charmy appearing out of the smoke to aid. The robot raised the rolling pin, screaming, "_YOU MUST DIE!_"

Espio dodged the pin and managed to slam into it in a flying kick, falling backwards and limping away. The robot hadn't been damaged in the slightest. Vector slammed his fists into its TV of a head, but still, no damage seemed to be taken.

"It's developed a shield!" Grock yelled as the rolling pin went sailing over his head, hitting a wall and staying there. "We can't take it down like this! Retreat!"

Vector grabbed Charmy from the air and ran for the front door, throwing it open and slamming it shut again when the others made it out. Surprisingly, the robot hadn't followed.

"How did it develop a shield?" Espio demanded, falling to the grass and massaging his ankle.

"I don't know! This virus is worse than I thought!" Grock paced back and fourth. "What if we found the maker of this virus and made them reverse it? If we can take out the point of origin, maybe our efforts will pay off."

"Thing is, we have no suspects." Vector sighed.

"Of course we do! There's….uh, well…and…no…" Grock trailed off. "You're right."

"What if we talked to Tails some more? Maybe he can help! He's a nerd!" Charmy piped up.

"He sure won't appreciate being disturbed, that's for sure. But maybe he can help." Grock nodded. "I think he's our only lead right now. Maybe he has an idea on how this all started, too."

The four of them walked the couple of miles to reach Tails' lab. His house's security system wasn't acting properly, because they managed to make it to the front door before all the warnings went off.

There was a small screen mounted next to the doorbell. Charmy pushed the bell, and the screen flickered to life with the face of Weegee staring back at them. The doorbell announced, "Spaghetti!"

"This is just creepy," Vector sighed. "That face is the face of a murderer."

The doorbell kept announcing pasta names until the door was thrown open by a very tired and stressed out Tails. "Sorry! This thing's been acting up all day…"

The doorbell continued to scream, "Spaghetti!" Tails slammed his fist into the tiny screen, and the voice faded away in a disturbing garble of, "_You…must…diiie…spaaaaagh…_"

"My robot's got the same virus…all it wants to do is destroy my house and make spaghetti." Grock said. "Do you have any idea how to stop it? And do you know how far it's spread?"

"No…I've been trying to contain it for a while now! There's nothing I can do! It's everywhere on the Internet! If people log into certain sites…their computer gets infected!" Tails pulled at his fur. "I haven't slept for days!"

"What do you know about this?" Espio asked. "Anything you've noticed in particular?"

"It targets FaceBook, MySpace, YouTube and FanFiction…but there could be more infected sites…DeviantART maybe. And all it really does is make whatever it's taken over do the opposite." Tails rubbed at his eyes. "And it's…really…scary…" He fell forward.

Vector barely managed to catch him before he hit the ground. "Tails, you ok?"

Tails snored in reply.

"Aw. He's soooo tired!" Charmy giggled. "Let's paint his fingernails! Or dye his fur pink!"

"No, Charmy! This is serious business!" Vector growled, carrying the sleeping fox back in his house and putting him on the nearest couch.

"Where's his lab at?" Grock asked. "No doubt he has better equipment than I do…but I might be able to use it."

"You can't just go and-" Espio began, but was cut off by a loud _swoosh_ing noise.

Grock had put his hand over a slightly different pattern on the wall, causing the adjacent one to flip over and reveal a secret passage. "Wow."

"I wouldn't go in there!" Charmy warned. "He could have crazy robots too! Then what? We're all gonna die!"

"It's a risk we have to take." Grock said, walking boldly down the passage, Espio following.

Vector sighed and grudgingly shuffled after them, Charmy buzzing around his head. "Vector, can we build something for him?"

"No."

"But it would be cool! We could build him a coffee maker! I think he could use some, don't you? He just crashed!"

"No."

"Ooooh, I know! We can build a airplane! I've always wanted to build an airplane! Well, once I did, but it was a LEGO airplane!"

"No."

"Or maybe we can build a secret spy car! It could fly! But Tails can already fly…so we can make a secret spy car for us! That way, we'll be real detectives! Like Batman!"

"No. Batman isn't a detective."

The group finally entered into the lab. Random tables held random supplies stacked high, computers lining the walls. The main one had a flat screen monitor, two others flanking it. The face of Weegee was on the two side ones, but the one in the middle held a long string of code that covered the entire screen. Espio sat at the computer and read over the garble.

"What's it say? I don't speak nerd." Charmy asked.

"I think it's an override code." Grock squinted at the screen. "Either that, or an order for a large pepperoni pizza."

Espio began to laugh, taking the others by surprise. "What's so funny?" Vector demanded.

"The Weegee virus was an accident. Tails is trying to correct his mistake." Espio laughed some more. "I should have known. No sleep, probably next to nothing to eat…he messed up on a formula and the virus was born. Why exacally it took the shape of Weegee is a mystery to me…I suppose we can get it answered when he wakes up."

"So this was all an accident?" Grock asked.

"It would seem so."

"My robot demolishing my house is no accident! This caused thousands of dollars in damage!"

"Your robot is a cleaning robot, correct? Once this is sorted out it can finally do what it was meant to do." Espio read over some code and began to type, after a while entering in 'OVERRIDE' and hitting enter.

The screen cleared and the Weegee faces on the other monitors vanished to be replaced by Tails' screensaver, a green meadow.

"Did you just get rid of the virus?" Vector asked.

"I hope so." Espio got up. "But there's only one way to find out."

**XxXxXxXx**

They entered Grock's house to find his robot picking up the pieces of the broken Crock Pot, the Weegee face on its TV screen replaced by a frog that greatly resembled Slippy Toad from _Starfox_.

"Hello, I was wondering when you would return." The robot said. The voice even sounded like Slippy.

"Holy cow, it worked!" Grock cheered. "This is amazing! Thank you, Chaotix!"

"Don't celebrate yet. We'll help you get the worst of this damage sorted out." Vector offered, picking up the pieces of a splintered chair.

**XxXxXxXx**

"I know…I was just so caught up in my work that I made a mistake." Tails stared at the ground, shuffling his feet around. "Then I forced myself to sort it out…I think I hadn't slept for a week. I'm so sorry this had to happen."

"It's fine. My robot works exacally the way I wanted it to…my house is almost back to normal," Grock said. "What were you working on, anyway?"

Tails smiled and held up a device that greatly resembled a iTouch.

"What is it?"

"A 3D holographic communicator." Tails pressed the 'home' button on it and a very realistic, almost solid hologram of himself popped up. "I figured this could be used by Sonic at times."

"Awesome!" Charmy cheered, poking the image. His finger went through the holographic Tails' face. "This is so cool!"

"In fact, I have a couple done. I think you should have them. You deserve it." Tails handed the three detectives and Grock similar devices. "You can stay in touch with each other."

"It's like Skype only better!" Charmy turned circles in the air. "Thanks, Tails!"

** XxXxXxXx**

"I'm sorry, but this is all I can afford to pay you at this time. Most of my house needs to be remodeled professionally." Grock handed the detectives a small roll of money held together by a rubber band. "Well, thanks for helping me. You saved me a ton of trouble. Also the world."

"Thank _you_." Vector smiled. "I hope your house gets repaired completely soon."

"Same." Grock shuddered. "While the plaster and paint dries, I have to stay with my mom…"

He left the Agency's doors, muttering prayers under his breath.

"Well, that wraps up another mystery!" Charmy said. "I want to watch football now!"

"I wouldn't relax yet." GhostKing called from the top stair. "Guess what I have?"

"Another mystery?" Espio sighed. "This fame is really beginning to pay its toll."

"At least we're rich!" Vector caught the envelope as GhostKing threw it.

" '_Chaotix Detective Agency, I need your help desperately. An item very near and dear to me has been stolen…'_"

** XxXxXxXx**

** HBee16's mystery coming next!**

** Ok, I did my research I was telling you guys about! And I gave myself homework! Which would be watching every episode of **_**Star Trek**_**!**

** Kidding. Although I love **_**Star Trek**_**. I'll be (trying) to watch a good majority of the **_**Sonic Underground**_** thing I read about…being the nerd I am, I read about it on Wiki… Deprived childhood…*Sigh***

** Oh, well. **

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**


	7. Chapter 6: The Absent Amulet

** Chapter 6: The Absent Amulet**

** This chapter brought to you by:**_** Meijer; Higher standards, lower prices. **_

** (I'm advertising now. Kidding) This chapter really brought to you mostly by HBee16. And a very tired Author because I just finished my marathon thingy and I don't feel like moving for the next few hours. So this chapter gets typed up!**

** And I have no idea why Charmy is obsessed with football. Just go along with it.**

** " **'_Chaotix Detective Agency, I need your help desperately. An item very near and dear to me has been stolen. My Griffin's Eye Amulet that my Aunt Shari gave to me has been stolen. I don't believe that this amulet has any worth in cash… but to me, it means everything. I'll gladly pay you if we can recover it. Please meet me at the downtown library in three days at twelve in the afternoon for further details.'_" Vector read out loud. "Signed by Miranda the Cat, AKA Randi."

"Oh boy! A little bit of a break!" Charmy zoomed off into the other room. "Football!"

** XxXxXxXx**

Mini vacation highly appreciated, the detectives walked down to the library to meet their client three days later.

Randi was waiting for them in the mystery section of the library, reading about criminals of the twentieth century. She wore a white tube top, red jacket, dark jeans, and white flats.

"Are you Randi?" Charmy asked.

"Yeah. I'm guessing you are the Chaotix Detective Agency?" Randi put the book down. "Thanks so much for taking the case. This means a lot to me."

"Can you give us more detail on this stolen amulet?" Espio asked.

"Of course. I have a picture of it. Drawn to scale." Randi drew a hand-drawn picture from her pocket, flattening it on the table.

The amulet was a golden colour, and a slight bit bigger than a silver dollar. It looked as though a golden seashell was fused into it, ripples curling inward in a spiral. A red jewel was placed in the middle. The entire thing was on a silver chain.

"It looks valuable." Vector remarked.

"That's probably why it was stolen. I don't even know if its worth anything…my godmother, Madame Sharada—who I call Aunt Shari—gave it to me when I was little. We've always been close, so this was a great gift. It means a lot to me." Randi sighed. "She's going through tough times, though. Money's getting harder to make and her customers aren't coming as often as they used to."

"What's her profession?" Vector asked.

"She works as a fortune teller. As soon as I noticed my amulet was gone she began jumping to conclusions. She's had a rival who wants to put her out of business for years now, and maybe he took the amulet to sell and get enough money to buy the property. Although, it could be worth nothing," Randi stared at the drawing for a while. "His name's Ricardo. He's a mink."

"Anyone else who you suspected right off the bat?" Espio asked.

"My ex-boyfriend, Johnny the Wolf. Ever since I dumped him he's been trying desperately to get me back. Although I doubt he'd do something this extreme."

"All right."

"If there are any more suspects, I don't know about them. We'd have to pay Aunt Shari a visit."

**XxXxXxXx**

The 'fortune telling tent' theme that was commonly found in movies and games was broken as they arrived upon Randi's godmother's house. She had a large, circular cabin designed to look like a tent. Purple cloth decorated with stars and moons hung around the door that was covered in black cloth. Inside was dark, save for moon-shaped lights and a large, crystal ball. Sitting behind it was a yellow hare.

She looked to be about thirty, give or take a few years. She was wearing purple robes, a amulet similar to the drawing Randi showed them around her neck, only the gem in the middle was blue. "Have you come to have your fortunes read?"

"We came to ask you about possible suspects concerning Randi's missing amulet." Espio said.

"Ah, the amulet." Shari nodded. "I know Randi's already told you about Ricardo and Johnny. I myself have a possible suspect. Her name's Jessica the Cougar. She's always trying to best me, even back when we were in high school together. She's been acting shady lately."

"Vector, I want to get my fortune!" Charmy whined. "Please?"

"Not now, Charmy. Maybe later!" Vector growled.

"I suppose we should start finding our suspects." Espio spoke up. "Good day, Madame Sharada."

The three left, leaving Randi and her godmother. "Will they solve the mystery?" Randi asked her before heading towards the door.

"That is uncertain. I cannot see their upcoming future. All I see is of things to come in the far future." Shari said softly, staring into the crystal ball.

"I'm going with them." Randi decided. "We'll solve this yet!" She ran out the door.

** XxXxXxXx**

"Ricardo, what do you know of my amulet?"

"That you always wear it. Except for today, I see." Ricardo narrowed blazing blue eyes at Randi. "What happened to your precious charm?"

"It was stolen." Randi declared. "We're going to find out who. I don't even know if its worth anything, but its worth everything to me."

"You think I have it. Don't you?" Ricardo scoffed. "Why would I steal something from you? I don't have anything to do with your precious treasure. If I really wanted to steal something, I'd take something from your aunt and not her niece. Like, for example, her property!" With that, he slammed the door in their faces.

"He does have a point," Charmy piped up.

"Still, he's on the suspect list until we can narrow it down. Randi, where exacally was your amulet stolen?" Vector asked.

"Sometime last week. I've been searching everywhere for it. I think I lost it somewhere out and about…probably in a large crowd. I was probably easy pickings." She hung her head.

"Don't blame yourself. I've seen people get their cars stolen while they were standing nearby them." Vector sighed. "How can people not notice _that_…?"

Randi cast him a withering glare.

** XxXxXxXx**

"I never thought I'd be doing this again…" Randi sighed, dialing the phone. It rang once, twice, three times before it was picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Johnny. It's Randi. Want to meet me for lunch at the pizza place by the library?" Randi facepalmed, but her voice still managed to sound cheery.

"Uh…sure! Be right there!" he hang up.

"I will _kill_ you guys if we get back together," Randi hissed, brandishing the phone like a hammer at Espio. "I had a legit reason for breaking up."

"What was that?"

"He was dating me along with this other girl." Randi sighed. "Traitor,"

They walked towards the pizza place. The three detectives claimed a booth nearby Randi, who sat alone at a two-person table. "Now remember, act causal!" Vector hissed. "No staring, no screaming, 'ew, that's gross' if they kiss, and no loud remarks!" He cast Charmy a glare.

"What? That only happened once!" the bee protested, grabbing a saltshaker for cheese and emptying most of it into his mouth before Espio grabbed it away from him.

"That's for the pizza."

"Service is slow!" Charmy protested.

"We didn't order yet."

Randi facepalmed and muttered loudly to herself, "I don't know you people. I never have, never will."

The door opened and a wolf entered, wearing baggy pants and a Linkin park T-Shirt. He caught sight of Randi and sat opposite her. "Hey, haven't seen you in a while. I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Randi cast the three detectives a glance. They were all hiding behind menus and humming absurd songs. She was pretty sure she heard the song 'Call me Maybe' being hummed.

"So what made you call me today?" Johnny asked.

"Oh, I thought I was kinda being…a jerk…" Randi forced herself to keep a straight face. "And I wanted to ask you if you've seen my amulet. It's been stolen."

"Ah, I see."

A moment of silence.

"You can stop staring at my chest now." Randi growled.

"Oh, right. Sorry." Johnny muttered.

The three at the other table snickered. Randi cast them a glare, but they were still hidden behind the menus.

"So do you have any idea where you think it could have gotten to?" Randi asked.

"The amulet? No. Where have you been the past few days?"

"The store. I entered it with it, and when I left, it was gone."

"I was there at some point. Haven't seen you, though, Or your amulet." Johnny leaned back in his chair.

"All right." Randi sighed.

**XxXxXxXx**

"It's like that one show, '_Disaster Date_'!" Randi cried. "That moron! Aaagh!" She kicked a stone angrily, where it flew off and dented a mailbox.

"Yeah, I don't like him either!" Charmy agreed.

Vector rolled his eyes. "Does Johnny have a history of crime or anything that we should be aware of?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?" Randi asked.

"The shoes he was wearing still had the alarm tag attached to them. It should have been taken off when he paid for them."

"Shoplifting. Yep. His specialty. Got caught once, though. I thought he stopped." Randi sighed. "Now I'm _really_ not dating him."

"He did say he was at the mall…" Espio muttered.

"He's still on the suspect list. Who's next? Oh yeah…Jessica."

** XxXxXxXx**

They found her in her garden, weeding a few plants. When they approached, she looked up with a confused expression on her face. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah. My amulet's been stolen." Randi launched into her story that took a total of two minuets. Jessica shook her head as her story finished.

"Your godmother always seemed to be the best at everything. Just once I would like to do something better than her…but I would never resort to stealing. I'm too busy for that." She turned towards the front door, where another cougar was sitting, probably her husband. A tiny cub was crawling over the grass, eyeing the guests with a spark of playfulness. "I've got my hands full with these two. And another on the way." Jessica patted her stomach.

"Awww! Congratulations!" Randi said.

"Thanks."

** XxXxXxXx**

"I think it's safe to cross her off the list." Vector said. "I don't think she stole your amulet."

"Yeah. Maybe I can babysit for her at some point…" Randi thought. "Her kid's so cute!"

"We'll think about them later! We've got a mystery to solve!" Charmy said. "What do we do now?"

"We question our remaining suspects." Espio said. "There's just not quite enough evidence to convict either of them."

"Who do we start with?" Randi asked.

"How about that creepy mink?" Charmy suggested.

"Ricardo it is."

** XxXxXxXx**

"You again? Can't you see I'm busy? I'm a real estate agent!" Ricardo roared. "I have work to do!"

"As do we. And we have a couple of questions for you." Vector said.

"I didn't take the amulet! I've been here, _working_, for the past three weeks! I'm about as stressed as can be! If I had the amulet, I would have returned it! I don't want your junk! I just want your property!" With that, he slammed the door shut.

"I'd say he just wants the property." Randi sighed. "He's at that stress overload point again. At least he's truthful in it. We can trust him, believe it or not."

"Then that leaves your boyfriend." Espio said.

Randi turned and punched him to the ground. "He's not my boyfriend! But that status _is_ available…"

"I'll pass," Espio groaned.

** XxXxXxXx**

Johnny met Randi at the store where the amulet was supposedly stolen. "Why'd you want to meet here?" He asked.

"Just…I don't know. Maybe it just fell off. This means a lot to me, you know." Randi sighed, checking under a shelf of things for sale.

Johnny glanced around, catching sight of Vector nearby. A flicker of recognization crossed his face, but it quickly vanished. Vector ducked behind a few shelves.

"I'll be right back. I have to use the bathroom." Johnny began walking away.

Vector stood and flipped through a few bestselling mystery novels, deciding against it to buy them. He thought he felt someone brush against him, but when he turned, no one was there. Johnny returned a few minuets later and continued helping Randi find her amulet.

"Vector!" Espio hissed to Vector's right.

"What?" Vector hated talking to what appeared to be nothing.

"Notice anything different?" Espio whispered. "For example; that gold chain you always wear?"

Vector reached up around his neck, and sure enough, the chain was gone. Everything clicked then and there.

He came out of hiding and approached Johnny. "All right, give me back my bling."

"What are you talking about?" Johnny asked, a bit intimidated.

"Hand it over and you don't die. How's that?" Vector held out his hand.

Johnny sighed, drawing out the gold chain from one large pocket. Randi watched in the background, a angry look on her face.

"We're the Chaotix Detective Agency. And according to Randi, you shoplifted for a short while, is that right? She thought you stopped, which you did. But instead of stealing things from the store, you stole things from the people who shopped." Vector hissed.

"What are you talking about?" Johnny paled.

"I'm guessing you took Randi's amulet to bring you and her back together?"

"…No, I was going to sell it." Johnny seemed to have recovered. "And I am!"

He began running to the exit, Randi right behind him. "Someone stop him! He stole my amulet!"

As Johnny reached the doors, the store alarm began to blare. He glanced down at his shoes, where he still hadn't remembered to take a electronic tag off. He cursed loudly and continued running…right into a squad of store policemen.

"All right, Johnny, where's my amulet?" Randi demanded as they handcuffed him and made him take off his shoes.

"Around my neck." Johnny sighed. "Take it and leave."

Randi did, slipping it over her neck and beaming happily. "We did it, guys!"

"I knew we would! We're so awesome!" Charmy cheered.

** XxXxXxXx**

"What's my fortune?" Charmy asked excitedly.

"I see…many mysteries awaiting you." Madame Sharada smiled. "And quite possibly a girl."

Charmy's jaw dropped and he flew around the room, shouting happily. "I GET A GIRLFRIEND!"

"All right, what's mine?" Vector asked, sitting in front of the crystal ball.

Madame Sharada waved her hands around it, muttering strange words and phrases. "I see…a rabbit. I'm assuming she's your friend. I see you and her spending many hours together, tightening the bond of friendship. I also see darkness in your future. Darkness and mystery. You will have many hard trials ahead."

"Shouldn't be too hard to handle." Vector was still mainly focused on the part about Vanilla. "Your turn, Espio."

"Fine," the chameleon took his place.

Madame Sharada did almost the exact same thing, but a few words were different. She almost leapt backwards, scaring everyone in the 'tent'.

"I see a possible death. I see horror and an armed gunman. I see a cyan emerald…a demon…a bloodied knife. There is an unavoidable death in your near future. But another unnecessary one may be prevented. Opposites will replace the originals. Siblings will be taken. Six victors will be a suspect. There is more…but it is quickly fading."

Everyone in the tent was shocked. Upcoming mysteries…more murder? The three detectives reasoned they saw enough death in the murder of Fiona Fox. But now this prophecy…?

"My only advice is to face it and don't back down." Madame Sharada said solemnly. "Don't show fear."

"That's some good advice." Randi whispered sarcastically, almost inaudibly.

**XxXxXxXx**

"An unnecessary death will be prevented?" Charmy asked nervously.

"But one's unavoidable." Vector sighed. "Why did she see all that in Espio and not one of us?"

"Maybe you have to be a ninja." Charmy suggested. "I don't think they're suppost to have emotions, anyway. We both get girlfriends! Espio gets to be like Spock and have no girlfriend but is still awesome anyway!"

Espio cast him a glare. Madame Sharada's prophecy was still ringing in his ears.

_ Murder_…

What were they getting themselves into?

** XxXxXxXx**

** Well, that was a horrifying ending. **

** Sorry about all the **_**Star Trek**_** references. Haha, I'm a sucker for that show. **

** Oh yeah…The prophecy is an upcoming peek at further mysteries! Sort of in a riddle too!**

** Although by far my best prophecy was in my **_**Ang, Kin Zorro**_** comic I made back in eighth grade. I'll find it and put it in another prophecy, maybe. If I can get it to work.**

** Ok, that's it for this one! Next is Duskzilla's mystery!**

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**


	8. Chapter 7: Thief of the Cyan Emerald

** Chapter 7: Thief of the Cyan Emerald**

** Duskzilla and GhostKing bring you chapter seven. Out of…I think fifteen…? And then maybe then some. Oh, well. **

** Duskzilla, when I got your request, I wasn't sure of what POV you wanted. So I just went third person. I hope that's ok. No one sent in a first person request yet…**

** Ok yeah, you guys, thanks for giving me an excuse to spend a total of three hours surfing Google for Sonic characters I haven't even heard of. Best 3 hours of my life… No one bugging me! Ok, on with da story!**

What was beginning to look like an ordinary day quickly ceased to be. The first clue that their down time was coming to an end was the fact that GhostKing was around, milling about in her office upstairs and talking loudly to herself. The second clue was that Charmy found the Nutella. Everyone's relaxation time sort of disappeared from there as they tried to catch the hyper bee.

And the third clue was the envelope that had fallen through the mail slot.

"Charmy, where'd you go?" Vector roared as sudden silence covered the agency. He sighed. "Never mind. What's that?"

Espio picked up the letter and opened it, reading over it quickly.

_ My name is Duskzilla. I'm from another dimension, visiting this one. I arrived here earlier today to visit a friend. My Cyan Emerald—my source of power—has been taken. I did get a good look at the thief. Meet me at the canyons at three this afternoon. _

"Another case? Wow…it's like all the villains are specifically deciding to strike now." Vector sighed, throwing the letter on the main desk. "Duskzilla…what a name."

There was a crash from the tiny kitchen in the back. Espio pulled open the refrigerator door to find Charmy sitting inside, face and fingers lathered in Nutella. "Hi," He said guiltily.

"Get out." Espio growled.

** XxXxXxXx**

The three detectives were standing on a ledge, glancing around the large canyon. Duskzilla was nowhere around and they were beginning to wonder if he had fallen.

"It's three thirty!" Charmy exclaimed. "Now it's three thirty-one…three thirty-two…three thirty-three…"

"We get it!" Vector growled.

That was about when a hedgehog came running up to them. He was about 3'3, had brown fur, blue streaks in quills, and bright orange eyes. He wore a cobalt shirt with the legendary _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ Blue Eyes White Dragon on it, cobalt pants, and black and white Nikes. He even had small brown dragon wings and a Godzilla tail. So explains the name.

"I'm Duskzilla," He said, ducking his head as if in a bow. "I'm guessing you are Vector, Espio and Charmy, the best detectives out there? I only hire the best."

"Uh…well….yeah, that's us!" Vector said.

"You came from another dimension? That's so cool!" Charmy exclaimed.

Duskzilla stared down at his shoes. "Not many people can do it anymore. And I can't go back home unless I have my Cyan Emerald. It's different from your Chaos Emeralds…it's rectangular and about four inches tall and five wide."

"You said you got a look at the thief?" Espio asked. "Any detail helps."

"He really didn't bother to disguise himself." Duskzilla shrugged. "And it's not the identity of the thief I'm really worried about…it's where my Emerald's at. He just vanished with it…not using Chaos Control, but he ran off and just seemed to vanish."

"Right. Well, what'd he look like?" Vector asked.

Duskzilla thought for a few seconds. "Well, he's a hedgehog and kinda the same shade as you. He wore red sunglasses and a black jacket and had two scars right here like this." He took two fingers and traced two lines diagonally across his chest. "I don't know if that helps at all, but that's all I really noticed."

"Oh, we know that guy." Charmy said, circling around Vector's head. "His name's Scourge. I hate him! He's mean. He tried to pull my wings off once, but Sonic stopped him."

"…Right. Do you have any idea where he could have gone?" Duskzilla asked.

"I have no idea. If he's got your Emerald, then there's a good chance he's already fled to your dimension." Espio sighed. "How did he get to our world, anyway? Last I heard he was locked away in the No Zone."

"This is sort of serious, then. He could be anywhere." Vector growled. "He's a real threat here."

"Where were you attacked?" Charmy asked.

"I teleported to a junkyard when I first arrived here. I don't know what its called…but I remember tons of robot parts and pieces." Duskzilla shrugged. "I hadn't been on the planet for three minuets before I was ambushed."

"We'll start there, then. Right?" Charmy asked.

** XxXxXxXx**

The junkyard was basically a robot burial ground. Parts and pieces of destroyed robots littered the land from past assaults on the cities. A few were still operational and attempted to attack the group.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Charmy screamed after a hand somehow managed to wrap itself around his leg. He flew straight up into the air and hovered there, curled in a fetal position. "THIS IS A DEATH TRAP!"

The other two detectives rolled their eyes and continued on, following Duskzilla. He lead them towards a large mound of crushed metal and stood in one of the only patches of living grass. "I was about here, I think." He said. "And he jumped over the junk pile and attacked me, afterwards running in the same direction he came from."

"Charmy, do you see anything suspicious up there?" Vector called.

"I think I see our agency!" Charmy waved in the distance. "Hi, GhostKing! Look out the window! Do you see me?"

Vector facepalmed, turning back towards the sane members of the group. "We'll just have to climb over that mountain ourselves."

Espio nodded, flipping backwards onto a dented robot head and using that to propel himself up higher. Duskzilla put his wings to use and sort of moon-jumped up the pile, Vector following. The three of them stood on the top of the mountain, glancing around.

"I don't see anything." Duskzilla sighed after a few minuets.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Espio agreed, pulling out his 3D holographic communicator that was giving off the _Star Wars_ theme. "Uh, hello?" He asked, pressing the main button.

An image of Tails popped up with a previous client, Grock. "We need your help! Sonic just came over here and declared that his Emerald went missing! He said that Scourge took it!"

"We're working on something similar to that." Espio turned the camera on Duskzilla. "He came from another dimension to visit a friend, but his Cyan Emerald was supposedly stolen by Scourge. We're at the location where he was ambushed, but we've found nothing so far."

"Can you meet us at my place in half an hour? Maybe we can help." Tails pleaded.

"I won't be able to…I've got to work on something, but we can keep in touch over these things." Grock offered.

"Ok, well, yeah. Everyone can contribute."

"We'll be right over." Espio promised. "I think we're getting nowhere just standing here."

The group began to one by one make their way down the mountain. They never noticed the figure watching them from the sidelines.

** XxXxXxXx**

"All right, what happened?" Vector asked.

"I was attacked." Sonic muttered, pressing an ice-pack to his head. "Running through the forest, and what of all objects decides to hit me? _A frying pan_. Then I saw that other faker and we fought. I was disoriented from that stupid weapon, so he had the upper hand. He stole my Emerald and ran off, shouting to someone."

"So Scourge isn't working alone…" Espio muttered.

"Who do we know that uses flying pans as weapons?" Charmy giggled.

"Um…there was that one time a few years ago that Amy hit me with one…" Tails blushed. "I still have a lump on my head."

"Ok, well, besides Amy." Grock said from Tails' holographic communicator. He was back at his residence, updating his cleaning robot.

"In my dimension, my mom has one under her bed if a burglar gets in the house." Duskzilla shrugged.

"Can we stay on topic?" Vector growled.

"Right. Sorry. I know my mom wouldn't have followed me here."

"If Scourge is here…would that mean that the rest of his posse followed?" Espio asked.

"How did he even get here?" Charmy wondered. "He would have needed a lot of power to come here, wouldn't he?"

"This conversation isn't hopeful," Sonic sighed.

"Nor helpful!" Charmy interjected happily, earning terrifying glares from Vector and Espio.

"It's getting late, too." Tails added.

"Ok, fine. We'll stop back tomorrow." Vector stood and headed for the door. "and _try_ to think of anyone or anything that could have assisted him in his robberies."

The three detectives began making their way back to the agency.

"Don't we have a Chaos Emerald?" Charmy whispered. "In the safe?"

"Yeah, but that's only for emergencies." Vector said.

"We've got to make sure Scourge doesn't get it!" the bee exclaimed, throwing punches in the air. "I'll get him if he tries to take it! You guys distract him!"

"You wish." Espio rolled his eyes.

They reached their street and finally arrived at the agency's doors. Espio pulled them open and the three of them stood in shock.

Papers were strewn across the room, the main desk missing a leg and cracked down the middle. The stairway's carpet was torn, a few of the rail supports broken off. Glass was shattered everywhere, the small TV in the back was now resting in a wall. Everything was destroyed.

"Espio, check the safe!" Vector commanded, rushing towards the stairs. "GhostKing! Are you up there? Are you ok?"

"He killed her!" Charmy wailed, flopping down on the floor and sobbing. "She was a good boss! I take back everything I ever said bad about her!"

Espio returned a moment later. "Vector, the safe's been destroyed. The money's still there, though. All of it. The only thing missing is the Emerald."

"Help me find GhostKing! I'm pretty sure she was still in here!"

The chameleon darted up the stairs as Vector checked the other rooms. He threw open her office's door, finding it in complete disarray like the rest of the agency. GhostKing was lying in the wreckage of her desk, as though thrown onto it and left there.

"GhostKing!"

Their boss muttered something, slowly coming to. She sat up, rubbing at her head. "Scourge…he's after the Emerald…don't let him get it…"

"Too late." Espio sighed. "He's got Sonic's too. And a Cyan Emerald from another dimension, stolen from our current client."

"He took me by surprise." GhostKing glanced around the ruined office. The newspaper clippings she had posted around the room were scattered everywhere. "I would have sent him to kingdom come had I known he was there."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. How bad's the downstairs?"

"Well…We lost our only TV."

"Crap," GhostKing growled. "Now we _have_ to get a new one." She smiled slightly, pulling herself up using the wrecked table.

The two of them made their way downstairs, where Vector was stashing the money back into the ruined safe until they could get a new one. Charmy was sweeping up some glass under a rug but stopped when he caught sight of his boss. "Oh, good! GhostKing! You're alive!"

"Don't put glass under the rug! What are you thinking?" GhostKing sighed.

"I think the first things we need to replace are the safe, the desks, and other furniture. And a few plates." Vector reported. "It was Scourge, wasn't it, GhostKing?"

"Yeah. How'd he get here, anyway?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out."

** XxXxXxXx**

They were back at Tails' house the next morning, Sonic and Grock also there.

"He destroyed your agency?" Tails gaped, wide-eyed.

"Yeah. All our money we earned from past cases we're going to use to replace almost everything." Vector sighed.

"That's terrible!"

"It could have been worse. GhostKing could have been killed." Espio said.

"We need to solve this case, and now. What's Scourge after? How'd he get here? And why choosing this time to round up the Emeralds?" Duskzilla wondered out loud. "And who's he working with?"

"And why go through so many risks to get the Emeralds?"

"We'll find out!" Charmy cheered.

"But_ how _is the question. He's covered his tracks too well." Vector muttered.

"What if we set a trap?" Duskzilla suggested.

"What kind?" Sonic asked.

"Well…we could get another Chaos Emerald and use it as bait. When he comes, we ambush him like he did you."

"The only probablem with that is Shadow is the only other person we know that has an Emerald at the moment. He probably won't agree to this." Sonic sighed.

"Who's Shadow?" Duskzilla asked.

"Faker Number One. Scourge is the 'Other Faker'." Sonic grinned.

"Shadow's a dark hedgehog with red stripes. He usually doesn't hang out around these guys for obvious reasons." Espio glared at Sonic.

"Hey…"

"I could find him if you wanted." Tails volunteered.

"Go ahead." Vector said.

** XxXxXxXx**

Tails couldn't find Shadow anywhere. The others hadn't stumbled onto any leads nor found another victim of Scourge. The case had gone cold; no trail to follow or any solid evidence.

The three detectives returned to the agency, discouraged and frustrated. GhostKing had restored the main floor to most of its glory, a new desk where the broken one once stood.

"Well, this is looking better, at least." Espio sighed.

There was a soft thump from behind them. The three spun around in defense only to find Shadow standing beside an open window.

"I heard that you've taken another case. One with missing Emeralds and a being that shouldn't be in this dimension."

"Yeah? What do you know about it?" Vector asked, feeling stupid for overreacting.

"A few things." Shadow said. "One of them being that Scourge now has three Emeralds, not counting the Cyan."

"What else?"

"He's got Robotnik caught up in this. Everyone he's working with has vanished."

There was a moment of shocked silence.

"There's also something else I think you should know." Shadow turned back towards the window. "One of those stolen Emeralds was mine."

He leapt out the window again, leaving the detectives standing rooted to the spot. Charmy found his voice first. "Oh, crap."

** XxXxXxXx**

"We have no leads. No leads at all." Espio announced solemnly.

"But what about the plan?" Duskzilla asked.

"We can't do it now. Shadow's had his emerald stolen." Vector sighed. "Duskzilla…I don't know how to say this…but…"

"You can't solve the case?" he stared down at his shoes.

"…Not at the moment. We'll continue to gather up information and relay everything we know to you. In the meantime…go and visit your friend. Try to keep your mind off this."

"The Cyan Emerald's my only way back to my world!" Duskzilla cried. "Without it, I'll be trapped here!"

"I know. And we'll do everything we can to recover it." Espio said calmly. "Scourge will pay for this dearly."

"What about the other Emeralds he's after?" Duskzilla asked.

"We don't know where they are, and as far as we know; he doesn't either. Sonic and Shadow have agreed to hunt as many of them down as they can while we try to find more leads. Tails will find a place to stow the Emeralds once we find some and-"

Duskzilla reached into his pocket and drew out a crumpled twenty dollar bill. "This is all I have to pay you. You deserve it for everything so far…I can pay you more once I find my Emerald." He stood and headed for the agency's door.

"Duskzilla, wait." Vector said.

He turned, casting the three a wary look. "What?"

"We won't take this until the case is completely solved." Vector handed him his money back. "The deal was we solve any case or we work for free. So far, we're not doing a good job of it. Keep it."

Duskzilla sighed, stowing it back in his pocket. "Fine. I'll check back in with you in a week."

He left, the door closing behind him sounding like a gunshot.

"What do we do now?" Charmy asked worriedly.

"Guess." Espio held up a pale envelope. "We've got two cases to solve now."

** XxXxXxXx**

** And so the suspense mounts…the first CLIFFHANGER MYSTERY!**

** Keep in mind this is all adding up to the finale of this mini-series. I hope I didn't disappoint Duskzilla, though…sorry, man, I ran away with your idea…**

** Hope you liked anyway.**

** Oh, yeah, I finally watched the first episode of**_** Sonic Underground**_**. It's really cute!**

** Now I'm gonna go watch **_**Doctor Who**_**!**

** Next is Beauty T.C's mystery! **

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**


	9. Chapter 8: The Things She'd Do

**Chapter 8: The Things She'd Do**

**Mystery sent in by BeautyT.C. Let us begin the awesomeness…**

"A murder?"

A cat wearing a gray sparkling tank-top, denim booty shorts, pink flip-flops, a black headband, and golden hoop earrings nodded sadly. Her name was Breezy the Cat, and her Chao had been murdered sometime within the day.  
Espio had read over the letter back at the agency, passing it on to Vector, who rounded up Charmy and they left to meet Breezy at her house. She had a small Chao garden in the back, one of its inhabitants murdered.

"Are you sure it was a murder?" Vector asked.

"There was a knife involved." Breezy growled. "So yeah, I think it was a murder. But why my Chao?"

"That's what we're going to figure out!" Charmy said happily.

"Come on. I'll show you the crime scene." Breezy pulled open the fence door and entered into the garden in the back. "The other Chao are inside, hopefully not making a mess. The one that's been murdered was named River."

A bright blue Chao was lying against a tree, most of its fur stained dark from blood. One of its tiny yellow wings had been hacked off, lying a few feet from the murdered. A blade of some sort glinted in a patch of tall grass.

Charmy immeadentally began sobbing.

"Charmy, come on…we warned you about this kind of stuff!" Vector sighed.

"I…it's too cute….Aaaah!" Charmy wailed.

Breezy plucked him out of the air, pulling him towards the exit. "Why don't you wait out here with me? So your name's Charmy?"

Charmy immeadentally brightened up. "Yeah! I'm manly!"

Espio and Vector turned back to the scene, trying to make anything out of it.

The Chao had obviously been dead for a few hours now. Its limbs were stiff and unmoving. It had been stabbed in the back, the weapon the murderer used lying in a small puddle of blood. Espio picked the blade up with a pair of tongs, careful to not damage any evidence on it. "No visible clues here."

Vector was still searching the area where the Chao had been murdered. A few large dirt piles lined the garden's walls, but about a foot to the right of its body was a shallow hole, like it had been digging before it was killed. Dirt on its tiny paws/hands confirmed that. Vector tapped one foot on the dirt pile, causing it to sink a few inches further into the ground, like a hole had been covered up hastily.

"I think the Chao found something, but whatever it found was taken."

"I don't recognize the patterns on this knife." Espio announced. "I wonder if its possibly antique."

"Anything with evidence over there?"

"Nothing."

Vector sighed and stared back at the murdered Chao. Something off-coloured on its fur caught his eye. He carefully drew off of its corpse a long, pink hair. "I think I just found something."

**XxXxXxXx**

"We've been solving a lot of mysteries lately!" Charmy said happily. "Most of them were really scary, but I took care of it!"

"You did? What happened?" Breezy asked, about to burst out in laughter.

"We were attacked by a lot of robots, once, but we got rid of them! And then our agency as trashed because an idiot was looking for our Chaos Emerald— which he got— and our boss was nearly killed! And we stopped a creepy computer virus once too!"

"Wow!" Breezy exclaimed. "That must be a lot of fun."

"It's sometimes scary, but that's ok." Charmy said.

"Breezy! We need to talk to you!" Vector called from the garden.

"I'll be right back." Breezy promised, entering the garden and walking up to the other two detectives.

"What happened before your Chao was murdered?" Espio asked.

"My gardener was here, helping me pull out a few unneeded trees. That's what those large dirt piles are for." Breeze pointed. "And my Chao were all plying together in the sprinkler."

"What about this one?" Vector pointed to the tiny hole the Chao must have dug.

"I don't know. My gardener and I went back inside for a while, she left…I made cookies…and when I came back out here, River was murdered. She must have dug that before she was killed."

"What was your Chao's personality?" Espio asked. "Any little detail could help."

"Well, she was very loyal, that was for sure. Once not too long ago I was about to back up into a patch of Poison Ivy and she stopped me. I know, not that great, but it saved me a lot of swearing." Breezy shrugged. "She's also very protective of her possessions, which would be a watering can and anything with bananas in it. She once bit my other Chao because he wanted her food."

"Did your Chao like to dig?" Vector asked.

"Um…I don't think so."

"Because it looks as though she was digging a hole when she was killed."

"Weird…" Breezy muttered. "River never did anything unnecessarily…she must have been …looking for something."

"All right. Thanks." Espio nodded. "One more thing…what's your gardener's name?"

"Amy Rose." Breezy said. "She's kinda quiet."

"We know." Espio sighed. "Why is Amy always caught up in _everything_?"

Breezy went back outside the garden to chat with Charmy some more.

**XxXxXxXx**

"Hey, Vector, guess what?" Charmy squealed as they made their way back to the agency.

"What?" Vector growled.

"Breezy likes me! I have a girlfriend! Madame Sharada's prophecy came true!" he turned circles in the air in the shape of a heart. "Isn't this awesome?"

"Good for you. You're like, seven years old. You should be playing video games and noting giving two hoots about girls yet."

"But all this detective business has helped me develop my manliness!" Charmy said, flexing nonexistent muscles.

Espio and Vector facepalmed.

They entered the agency to find that GhostKing wasn't back yet. But during the day at some point she did get around to fixing the mutilated stairway. The main floor looked almost normal now from when Scourge nearly destroyed it looking for a Chaos Emerald.

Vector called Amy up and asked her about Breezy and if she knew anything about the Chao that was murdered. Espio took the two clues; the knife and the hair, in a back room filled with all sorts of detective stuff.

And Charmy cut out paper hearts for Breezy.

"Amy didn't even know this happened until now." Vector reported. "That girl gets caught up in everything! What is she, a danger magnet?"

"Yeah! And I'm a chick magnet!" Charmy shouted.

"Shut up, Charmy!"

Charmy went back to cutting out paper hearts. Espio was still in the back, allowing Vector to secretly call up Vanilla.

**XxXxXxXx**

"We have some good news!" The holographic image of Tails declared. "Just the other day, Sonic found an Emerald in the forest!"

"That's great." Espio nodded. "Any word on Duskzilla? Is he still worried about the whole thing?"

"No, last I heard, the friend he was visiting was Knuckles." Tails shrugged.

"Really? Well, keep up the Emerald hunting. I sure hope you have a secure place for them." Vector said.

"Don't worry, we do. The only hard part will be keeping Shadow away from it. He wants an Emerald even if it kills us." Tails shuddered. "But we'll manage. Good luck on any mysteries you're working on."

He cut the link.

"Well, let's get back to Breezy's place." Vector sighed, stowing the communicator in a bag full of items to assist them in their search for clues.

Breezy was waiting for them, a sad look on her face. But she brightened up once she saw them…or rather, Charmy.

"Look, Breezy!" Charmy held up a horribly cut paper heart.

"Aw, is that for me? That's so cute!"

The two other detectives rolled their eyes and walked into the garden, using the equipment they brought to search for anything they missed the first time.

"As far as I know, that pink hair belongs to Amy." Espio concluded. "I don't know anyone else who has pink hair."

"But that doesn't explain the knife." Vector sighed. He had stared at the weapon practically all night, taking in every little detail about it.

It was about twelve inches long, the tip of the blade so sharp it had punctured the evidence bag it had been in. The first three inches from the hilt were painted gold, the rest of the blade was silver, like the coat had long ago worn off. The hilt was made of tightly woven black yarn, two golden wing-like extensions extending off to the right and left of the blade. Strange designs in red, blue and black decorated the entire thing.

Never before had he seen a knife like that.

A sound caught their attention. They both looked up to find Shadow making his way over towards them, an angry look on his face.

"Oh, man…" Vector muttered.

"Do you have any idea where the _hell_ that Emerald is? And-" he stopped, nearly stumbling backwards. "All right, you have one too, don't you? I need it to find Rouge. She's been gone for a few days."

"What are you talking about?" Espio growled. "This is a crime scene. Please leave immeadentally."

"You have an Emerald with you. I can feel the Chaos Energy in the air." Shadow stated bluntly.

"Believe us, Shadow. There's no Emerald around here. Just a murdered Chao and dead-end clues." Vector said.

"Then how do you explain it?"

Espio's gaze fell onto the hole the Chao had dug before it was killed. "Does the energy seem to be emitting from there?"

Shadow nodded.

"The Chao was killed for the Emerald, which it had found and was digging up. Go tell Breezy… Scourge has stuck again." Espio said to Vector, who ran to the garden's entrance. "Shadow, can you sense the power of the Emerald anywhere else besides here?"

"No. Its presence is so strong I'm surprised you haven't felt it."

Vector returned with Breezy and Charmy a few seconds later. "Scourge was here?" Charmy whispered, looking scared. Then he caught sight of Breezy again and straightened up. "I mean… that thieving, murderous, thief! I'll get him!"

"Who's Scourge?" Breezy asked, a hint of fear in her eyes.

"That takes a lot of explaining." Espio said. "But the main thing is that he's responsible for this murder and another case we're working on."

"Will you find him?" Breezy said.

"We're working on that. All we know is that he's not working alone and he covers his trail too well."

"And he has four Chaos Emeralds. We have one other." Shadow said.

"Shadow…" Vector started. "What happened to Metal Sonic after that battle? The last I saw of him was he was trying to escape and you were following."

"He vanished outside of the town." Shadow growled. "I don't know how or why. I haven't seen him since."

"So he's still out there too?" Charmy squeaked.

"Damaged. There's no way he'd be making a comeback anytime soon." Shadow reminded him.

"Oh, good."

"All the villains have been disappearing," Espio muttered. "Something tells me that there's going to be an upcoming storm. A fierce storm. We haven't seen the worst of it yet."

**XxXxXxXx**

**Wow, quickie mystery. I'm guessing you saw through that pretty quickly. **

**So the villains are all vanishing, huh? An upcoming storm? Hmmm…I wonder how this will turn out. And is Scourge turning to murdering cute, innocent Chao to get what he wants? Sicko! (To tell you the truth, I think he's like my favorite character ever now. I never really liked Sonic, but I liked everyone else, so…yeah.)**

**So, BreezyT.C, you like? **

**Heh…next up is Dark Misery the Chao's mystery. And contrary to popular belief, he's a hedgehog. Not a Chao. **

**Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

**Lordoftheghostking28**

**PS, you guys…NEVER watch **_**Doctor Who**_** in the middle of the night when its dark. I had nightmares all night…and it takes a lot to scare me.**


	10. Chapter 9: TripletNapped

**Chapter 9: Triplet-Napped**

** QUICK NOTE: Duskzilla, thanks for your anti-personality. It was greatly needed.**

** Dark Misery the Chao brings you this chapter. Also this chapter is sponsored by Mountain Dew and all things sugary. Begin transmission!**

The three detectives were back at the agency, studying a map. Random locations were tagged over the piece of paper; where Chaos Emeralds had been found. So far there has been no distinct pattern, and no lead. Scourge had three Emeralds plus the Cyan Emerald stolen from Duskzilla. They—the good guys—had one. That left three undiscovered.

"Notice how the junkyard where Duskzilla was jumped and Breezy's backyard are almost in a straight line." Espio pointed. "That's really all the pattern I can find."

"It's just a coincidence." Vector grumbled.

Meanwhile, Charmy had zoned out when Breezy was mentioned. "Ahhh, when can I see my girlfriend again, guys? I want to see her! She even said I'm cute! And she likes the way my antenna stick up when I thought that was the reason I didn't have a girlfriend!"

"Shut up, Charmy." Vector growled. "I want to see Vanilla too, but now's not the time. We've got a thief and a murderer on the loose."

That was when the door to the agency opened and a hedgehog and white tiger hybrid walked in. He had dark stripes down his back and most of his fur was either white or a light gray. He wore red and black striped shoes and white gloves on his hands. When he caught sight of the three detectives, he asked, "Oh…this isn't McDonalds?"

"No. It's the Chaotix Detective Agency." Espio said.

"Right. Sorry." He walked out.

There was an odd silence that covered the room. "What was that about?" Vector asked.

"No idea. What were we talking about before he came in?" Espio asked. "I think I was on to something."

"No, you were just saying how the junkyard and Breezy's backyard line up."

"Déjà vu!" Charmy exclaimed.

"Oh, right, and then he blabbed on about how he had a girlfriend and all that." Vector rolled his eyes. "These locations don't add up. And we have no way of knowing if Scourge has another Emerald by now."

"Look, if we connect the lines like this," Espio traced from one location to the next closest and so on. "it almost seems to make points on a star."

"That's impossible." Vector sighed.

"Well, it's worth checking out this location here. It's in a field. If I'm right, an Emerald should be around there." Espio said. "And if you're not going, then I am."

"Right now?" Vector asked as Espio grabbed a few ninja stars out of a drawer.

"Of course. This can't afford to wait."

He left shortly after that, leaving the other two. Vector continued to stare at the map. Espio was _sort of_ right…the four locations almost did make a star. With a few missing points, that is. Charmy flew around with a small mirror, staring at his reflection and occasionally bumping into walls.

The door opened again.

"Back already, Espio?" Vector asked without looking up.

"Huh?" said a voice muffled by chewing.

Vector looked up to find the tiger and hedgehog hybrid from earlier, a Big Mac in one hand and a McDonald's bag in the other. "Uh…I see you found your restaurant."

"Yeah. It's like, right down the road." He swallowed. "Right, I actually do need your help with a mystery. My siblings, Dull Twilight and Light Joy, have gone missing."

Dread dropped like a lead ball in Vector's stomach, but he didn't say anything. With every case that came in, he knew he'd be praying that it wouldn't result in murder or theft. Anything that didn't involve Scourge, and yet this mystery seemed a little on the suspicious side.

"Do you have any evidence?"

"Uh…not really, no. They said they'd meet me at my house a day ago…and they never showed up. I went to find them, and they weren't at their houses." The hybrid tossed the McDonald's bag in a nearby trash can. "I'm Dark Misery the Chao, by the way. Call me 'Dark' or 'Misery' or 'Dark Misery' or whatever. Don't let 'the Chao' part fool you, though. I'm a White Tiger and a Hedgehog hybrid."

Vector tried not to sigh. "Right. Do you have any possible leads?"

Dark Misery shook his head. "Not any. But I do have this picture of them. I figured you'd need it for reference."

The photo showed three people, Dark Misery in the middle with his arms around his siblings' shoulders. The one on the left was dark as midnight with red triangles on his arms, and the one on the right was also dark, a bright green stripe down the back of her head.

"The guy's Dull, and the girl's Light." Dark Misery said. "To tell you the truth, I don't want you to find them, but my intuition tells me to do it or else. They are family, I guess. We're triplets."

"All right. Where were they last seen?" Vector prompted.

"Their houses. About noon yesterday, at the latest. I think they were taken when they were coming to my place, possibly. Their houses don't have any sign of forced entry or anything."

"Dull looks a bit like Shadow." Vector said.

"Oh, yeah, the hedgehog? Fangirls always mistake him for that guy." Dark Misery pouted. "And then Light's always getting these remarks that she looks like Amy Rose. I never get mistaken for anyone famous."

"Yeah. Amy's been quite popular around here lately…" Vector sighed, hoping that nothing else would happen to the unfortunate, danger magnet of a hedgehog.

"Oh, and payment…I can pay you in electronics and then some cash. I figured people like you would need high-tech stuff. I build things, and I hope you'd take some of it." Dark Misery said.

"Sure. But not now. Only when and if we solve this." Vector said.

** XxXxXxXx**

Clouds had come over the field, plunging the area in less light. Espio had been searching the field for an hour now, and had found absolutely nothing. Nothing but grass, butterflies and the occasional snail.

And yet, he was certain an Emerald was there somewhere.

Just as he was about to give up and head back, a sound caught his attention. He spun around, invisible, and waited for anything.

A patch of tall grass moved, like someone was moving around in it. A second later there was a shout of, "Ow!"

Espio clutched six ninja stars between his fingers, ready to attack if he had to. The person in the grass stood up, hopping around on their left foot while clutching at their right ankle.

All of Espio's suspicions were confirmed. The Emeralds did form a star-shape, for some unknown reason. For there, not even ten feet in front of him, was Scourge.

"I told you to wait at the base!" Scourge growled in the large patch of grass. Espio couldn't see nor hear who he was talking to, but judging by the violent gestures he was making, the mysterious other was Scourge's accomplice.

Espio began to move slowly forward, stars at the ready. Scourge was holding an Emerald in his hand, the one that had been in the field. Espio held his breath as his foot came down on a stick sharply.

Scourge stared in his direction, red sunglasses catching the light. "Hold on. We're not alone." He muttered.

"But we can't get Sonic yet!" Came another voice that the detective did not recognize.

"I know that! What makes you think that it's him over there?" Scourge growled.

"What are you going to do?"

"Give me that knife."

"What…?"

"Give me that knife!" Scourge retreated for a half-second into the grass, reappearing with a long dagger in one hand, the Emerald in the other. He began to walk directly towards Espio, although he did not know it at the time.

"I know you're there." He hissed. "Come on out. Just try and stop me."

He was close enough so that Espio made out the designs on the knife. They were identical to the ones on the blade that had killed Breezy's Chao. No wonder the detectives hadn't recognized the designs on the blade; it had come from another dimension.

Espio didn't dare to move. If he did, his location would be given away and Scourge would find him. He also couldn't risk attacking, the knife was raised to strike at any time and he couldn't find an opening for a kill strike.

Scourge stopped two feet from Espio, glancing to the right. His eyes traced the tail that Espio had taken to get where he was now. Trampled grass and footprints…just stopping in an unusual place.

"Nice try." Scourge grinned, slashing outwards with the knife.

** XxXxXxXx**

No one had any information on Dark Misery's kidnapped siblings. The neighbors were no help, the police were no help and just about everything seemed to be getting in their way.

For example: Charmy.

"Vector! Look! Ice cream!" the bee pointed excitedly.

"Not now."

They made their way down the streets, following the possible routes Dark Misery's siblings would have taken to reach his residence. Nothing seemed to jump out at them as a clue.

"Well…maybe they got lost?" Dark Misery sighed. "This is really odd."

"Ooooh, looks! Sunglasses!" Charmy cheered, picking up pink-rimmed, star shaped glasses and putting them on his face. "I'm a rock star!"

"You keep on believing that." Vector growled.

"Hey, someone's wallet!" Dark Misery stooped and grabbed the leather item, opening it and pulling out twenty bucks. "Sweet!"

"Put that back. Who's it belong to?" Vector asked.

"Um…there's no name or anything. Just a picture of Amy Rose with a red heart drawn around it." Dark Misery held up a photo, making an 'Ewww' face.

"All right, that is very not weird…" Charmy said, the star-shaped glasses covering his entire face.

"Look over here! There's a shoe!" Vector pointed. "and now that I notice it, there's a trail of junk leading down the road."

"Let's follow it and collect wallets as we go!" Charmy cheered. "We'll get rich instantly!"

The trail lead off the road after a while, turning back into a forest. Charmy and Dark Misery had collected at least five wallets each, not to mention numerous sunglasses and sets of keys. Vector was beginning to relax; Scourge never left an obvious trail and he didn't seem the type to lure others in by setting a deliberate path.

"We've got fifteen wallets!" Charmy cheered, somehow managing to wear three sets of sunglasses at one time. "This is the best day ever!"

"Be quiet! I think I heard something!" Vector growled.

Everyone stood rooted to the spot, trying to listen for any sound at all. Before long, a soft shout was heard deeper in the woods; a shout that sounded oddly like, "OMG WE LOVE YOOOOU!"

"Well, that's _very_ not weird…" Charmy said.

Vector laughed. "Hey, Dark Misery, remember how you said that your siblings looked a bit like Shadow and Amy?"

"Yeah…?" Dark Misery asked, looking confused behind gigantic, green-rimmed sunglasses.

"You know how fangirls and guys are colorblind?"

"Oh, yeah! And Amy mistakes Silver and Shadow and Cream and everyone for Sonic and stuff because she's colourblind! So that means…Dull Twilight and Light Joy were kidnapped by fans!" Dark Misery darted forward. "DON'T WORRY, GUYS! I'LL SAVE YOU!"

"Wait! They could be rabid!" Charmy cried.

Vector picked up the pace a bit, Charmy right behind him. Another shout filled the forest, louder because they were drawing nearer, "OMG! IT'S SILVER!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! That's me!" Dark Misery said proudly. "Now let Amy and Shadow go!"

Vector and Charmy came crashing through some plants to see a giant group of people, a couple of them holding long sticks at either end. Tied to the sticks were Dull and Light, looking extremely ticked.

"About time you showed up!" Light shouted. She didn't sound anything like Amy.

"Yeah, sorry. Let them go!" Dark Misery said again.

"NOOO WE LOVE THEM!" The rabid fans shouted.

"Hey, we're all here, right? We can use our Chaos Attacks!" Dull said evilly.

"Oh, yeah. You guys might want to step back." Dark Misery said to the two detectives. "When we're all together, we can use Chaos Attacks. Even without an Emerald. But it's pretty explosive and we only pack enough punch to knock people out, which is perfect for this."

"Oh…right." Vector said. "Come on, Charmy. We'll wait for them over here."

As they were walking away, a loud shout of 'Chaos Control' in a slight accent followed them, accompanied by a loud _BOOOOOOOM_! A tree fell nearby.

"Dang." Charmy whispered.

Dark Misery and his siblings came after them a few seconds later. "Thanks for helping me, guys! That was awesome!" Some of his fur was smoking.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm gone." Light took off running out of the forest.

"Dude, they think you're Silver now." Dull laughed. "That's so dumb!"

"Shut up." Dark Misery said, beaming. "At least I'm awesome!"

"Yeah, whatever. I'm gone too." Dull ran off after Light.

"Well, thanks." Dark Misery said to the two detectives. "Here, I have some money with me right now. I'll get the tech stuff later." He handed them a roll of cash. "And…wait a second…where's that other guy that was with you earlier?"

"Espio?" Vector asked "Oh, he's…"

He trailed off.

"HE'S DEAD!" Charmy screamed. "We forgot about him! Come on! We have to find him!"

"Charmy, wait!" Vector shouted, following the hyper bee as he shot through the trees, Dark Misery following.

** XxXxXxXx**

"This is the field, right?" Charmy asked.

"Yeah. And I think it'd be somewhere in the middle." Vector walked off into the grass that was about half as tall as him.

"I can barely see." Dark Misery reported. "Ow, thorns!"

Charmy flew into the air, surveying the field."Vector! A lot of the grass in the middle has been flattened… some of it's been cut….and…" He trailed off, diving straight down.

"What? Charmy, what?" Vector started running.

"I found one of Espio's ninja stars!"

"Ok, that's good…but where's Espio?"

Vector and Dark Misery had come to the middle of the field, where most of the grass had been flattened or cut, probably from Espio's weapons. Their client picked up another star, handing it to Vector. "I'm starting to get worried…"

"Don't be."

The group spun around to find Espio, another ninja star in his hand. "I'm fine. Really."

"What happened to you?"

"I was right. The Emeralds do make a star pattern. Scourge was here. He…" Espio trailed off as he stumbled and fell.

"Espio!" Charmy shouted.

Sticking out of the chameleon's back was one of his own weapons, imbedded firmly in his flesh.

** TO BE CONTINUED**

** XxXxXxXx**

** OH NO ESPIO! NOOO YOU'RE TOO AWESOME TO DIE!**

** So what will happen? Will they stop Scourge? Will Espio be all right? Will I have a totally epic ending for this story?**

** Can't guarantee any of that. Although if you review, it helps.**

** And Tamara, I hope you feel better! **

** Next is VioletAssassin's story!**

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**


	11. Chapter 10: Killed Caretakers

** Chapter 10: Stolen Siblings and Killed Caretakers**

** Mystery sent in by VioletAssassin. All right, I was reviewing what I have left for these mysteries and I have FOUR LEFT! (Not counting this chapter) And due to awesomeness, I have made a few arrangements.**

** In this order I am going to write the final chapters:**

** VioletAssassin (Obviously)**

** luvrofpokemon**

** Blaze Luver**

** Troy 168**

** Iris Taishou.**

** This has been strategically set up so I can write the final chapter, which will be planned and written totally by me. I hope I can manage to wrap up this entire story in one chapter.**

** Anyway, beginning the story…**

Vector watched Espio fall, refusing to believe it. He glanced in the direction the ninja star had flown from and clenched his fists.

"_Scourge!_"

Said villain was standing about ten feet away, another of Espio's weapons in his hand. In his other hand he held a Chaos Emerald. On his face was a smug smirk. "Do you really think you can stop me?"

"We won't let you get away with this!" Charmy cried, plucking up all the courage he could muster and diving at him. "I WANT YOU TO DIIIIE!"

Scourge easily stepped to the side, Charmy plowing into the ground face first. "You have all been a threat to me for a while, but no longer." He planted a foot firmly in Charmy's back, preventing him from moving.

"Vector! Help me!"

"Leave him alone!" Vector roared.

Scourge backed up slightly as the crocodile ran at him, fury burning in his eyes. The hedgehog misjudged his distance and couldn't do anything to dodge the fist that landed squarely in his stomach, sending him flying backwards.

"Charmy, you all right?" Vector demanded.

"I'm fine!" Charmy squeaked.

"Get Espio and get him out of here!"

Charmy grabbed Espio's arm, dragging him to his feet. "Espio, are you ok? Say something!"

"You have no idea how much this hurts." Espio growled through clenched teeth.

Charmy lifted him into the air, flying back towards the town. Vector turned his attention back on Scourge, who had finally resumed standing. "Not very impressive." He hissed.

"Yeah?" Vector said. "I want a few things answered before I punch you back to that dimension of yours…without any use of Chaos Control."

"What's there to explain?" Scourge smirked. "I need power. Lots of it."

"What for?"

"I believe that will be clear very soon." Scourge lifted the Emerald into the air.

Before Vector could land another punch on him, he had already shouted, "Chaos Control!" and vanished.

"You can't hide forever!" Vector shouted, even though he knew that Scourge couldn't be able to hear him.

** XxXxXxXx**

"Espio, I can't fly any farther!" Charmy gasped.

He began to lose altitude, coming towards a paved road at an alarming rate. "My wings! They're numb!"

"…Charmy!" Espio managed to say before the bee's wings gave out and they both plummeted to the pavement, turning somersaults and rolling a good distance.

Espio didn't have the energy to get up again. The rough landing felt as though it had forced the ninja star further into his back. The would was flashing different colours… then it was too dark…

"Hey! Someone call 911!" Charmy shouted. "My friend's hurt! He's gonna die!"

"No, I'm not." Espio muttered before darkness took over his vision.

**XxXxXxXx**

A day passed. Vector met up with Charmy at the Emerald Town hospital, where surprisingly Vanilla and Breezy— Charmy's so-called 'girlfriend'—came to meet them.

"Breezy!" Charmy squealed. "I missed you so much!"

"I heard what happened!" Breezy sighed as the bee enveloped her in a giant hug. "This is horrible!"

"How's Espio?" Vanilla asked, standing nearby Vector. Cream and Cheese hopped up in a nearby chair and played 'Go Fish' with a deck of cards.

"He'll live." Vector said. "It was close…if that star had gone any deeper he may have been paralyzed."

"Any idea how long it'll take him to recover?"

"No. All I know is that he'll have to take it easy for a while. That's not good news for us…we've got to solve a rather deadly case."

"Yeah, we heard." Said a voice nearby the door.

The group glanced up to see Tails, Sonic and Shadow. "So...What's up?" Sonic asked.

"Besides the fact that Espio could have died…nothing much." Vector growled.

"You know that since Shadow and I can channel Chaos Energy, we can probably speed up Espio's recovery." Sonic said.

"Don't tell me you brought an Emerald here with you…you're going to get innocents killed…" Vector muttered.

"Don't worry!" Tails said, holding up the one Emerald they possessed. It was resting in some kind of container. "There's no way Scourge can track the energy trail left by it. Even Shadow can't trace it."

"I guess that's good!" Charmy said happily. "Hurray! Now Espio can be back and help us solve the mystery of why Scourge is stealing everything!"

The door to the waiting room was opened and a gray hedgehog walked in, glancing around nervously. Her quills are parted into two groups in the back of her head. Her eyes are magenta in color and she had a swirl on her forehead. She wore a green, sleeveless collared shirt and black shorts. Her gloves were white with grey cuffs. She had white shoes and knee socks that had a mismatched black and white ring pattern on them.

"Um…is the Chaotix Detective Agency here?" She asked.

"Two of us." Vector said. "Why? You have a case for us?"

"Yeah…" She cast a glance at Sonic. "I'm Tessa, by the way."

"What is it, then? The mystery?" Charmy asked excitedly. "Oh, and this is Breezy, my girlfriend! I'm Charmy!"

The gray hedgehog smiled slightly. "My friends Manic and Sonia are missing and their foster parents are dead. I went to go visit them last Tuesday, and everything was fine. We hung out at the park, grabbed lunch and headed back to Sonia's house. When we got there, someone hit me over the back of my head with something metal and kidnapped Manic and Sonia. Please help me, I need to find them! I already found some things that might help. There were two bullet casings, a cloth and something spilled on the floor that isn't blood. I need your help, please! I have a terrible feeling something horrible has happened to them!"

Sonic's eyes grew wide. "What? Why haven't you reported this sooner? They're my siblings!"

"I already reported it." Tessa sighed. "The police are still working on the case. They haven't been able to find anything."

"Uh oh." Charmy squeaked. "That doesn't sound good."

"We'll check it out." Vector promised. "The rest of you…don't bother Espio too much. He can still take your head off."

"Bye, Breezy! We'll come back!" Charmy waved.

Vector rolled his eyes.

"I'm coming too." Sonic decided firmly.

"Fine."

** XxXxXxXx**

Sonia lived in what could only be described as a mansion. A large iron gate guarded the entrance, but Charmy pushed it open and they walked up to the front door that was decorated in yellow and black 'CRIME SCENE-DO NOT CROSS' banners.

The front hall was where the crime must have taken place. Everything was still in its original position, save a chalk outline of a body. That must have been where her caretaker had been murdered. A bullet casing was lying not too far away, outlined in florescent green.

"No traces of blood." Vector said instantly. "The bullet couldn't have killed anyone."

"Then why is it here?" Sonic demanded.

"Maybe to confuse everyone?" Tessa suggested.

"If so, they didn't do a good job of it."

"Tessa, you said there was something spilled on the floor, right? Something that wasn't blood?" Charmy asked.

"Yeah, but it's in another room, which I find odd. Sonia's caretaker never tolerated any messes."

They trooped into another room, this one even more elegant than the main hall. Luxury couches and furniture lined the walls, along with a beautiful coffee table. A dark stain stained the light-coloured rug nearby the table, a smashed mug nearby.

"The police say it's wine, nothing else." Tessa said. "Nothing makes sense. Manic's place is almost identical, save the spill. There's a bullet casing and an outline of a body…no blood as far as I can tell."

"We should check it out, then." Vector said. "I don't think there's anything that qualifies as a major clue here."

** XxXxXxXx**

If Sonia lived in a mansion, then of course Manic was the complete opposite. It took the group an hour to finally locate his 'house', which was basically the cleanest part of the sewer. The door was hidden, almost completely save the 'CRIME SCENE' tape.

But despite the outside appearance of the place, the inside was almost to normal standards. The only way he could have acquired all this would have to have been from stealing.

Just like the other crime scene, a bullet casing and a outline of a body were the only two clues present.

"This is just getting odder and odder," Sonic muttered.

Charmy flew around the house, occasionally saying loudly, "Ooooh, pretty!" The others searched the crime scene of a room, finding nothing out of the ordinary nor 'overly ordinary'.

"Hey, you guys! They've got bagels!" Charmy called from the kitchen.

"Get out of the fridge!" Vector growled.

"There's also two glasses of orange juice! One's sort of empty!"

"Don't touch it!"

"Yuck, it's expired!" Charmy shouted.

"_Charmy!_"

"What?" Charmy flew back into the room. "I'm thirsty!"

"Don't touch anything. The police might find your DNA and think you're the one who did these murders." Said a voice from the door.

The group spun around, surprised and a little relieved.

"Espio!" Vector said. "How did you get here?"

"Shadow channeled some of the Chaos Energy to heal my wound. I'm completely healed, but it still feels like someone kicked me hard in the back." Espio shrugged. "Also I figured you'd be at one of the crime scenes. It wasn't that hard to find you."

"Well, we're glad you're ok." Sonic grinned.

"We still haven't found a major clue." Tessa said. "As far as we know…the bullet casing is a decoy. Something to throw the police off the trail or something."

"That's what I thought."

"Hey, guys! I found a drumstick!" Charmy said happily, pointing to a couch.

"Don't touch it,"

"I know! Jeez, you guys!"

"Do you think the police have found out anything yet?" Tessa asked.

"I doubt it. When it comes to thinking, they aren't the best." Sonic said.

"…" Tessa thought, beginning to wonder the room.

"Can I please have some orange juice, Vector?" Charmy begged.

"No!" Vector roared.

"Why orange juice?" Espio asked.

"There's some in the kitchen! But one glass's gross." Charmy explained. "But the other isn't, but there's hardly any left."

"Let me see this." Espio said.

The group walked into the kitchen, finding a simple wooden table with two glasses of orange juice on it. One glass was nearly empty, the other looked as though the drinker only had one gulp.

"This one's nasty." Charmy pointed to the full glass. "But this one isn't."

"I hope you didn't drink it." Vector glared at him.

"No, it just smells weird. Like hand sanitizer and other nasty things."

"Ewww. Yeah, he's right." Tessa backed away from the glass, sneezing.

"But the other one seems fine, right?" Vector asked.

"Yeah." Tessa sneezed again. "Oh boy, that was _strong_…"

"I think I know what happened. But first we need to head back to Sonia's house."

** XxXxXxXx**

"I don't know if you noticed this, but there's a wine stain in the other room." Vector said to Espio as they re-entered the mansion.

"I saw it, but didn't think anything of it."

"That's what we did." Vector said. "But I have a theory…Charmy, does it smell like the orange juice?"

"I'll check!" The bee flew off, returning a moment later sneezing like Tessa had been. "Yep. That's gross."

"Then I know what happened." Vector said sadly. "The caretakers were poisoned. I don't know how they didn't notice the smell of the poison, but my best guess is that it's aged a bit since the murders, so the difference shows up now."

"But who poisoned them?" Tessa demanded. "They were good people! And who kidnapped my friends?"

"That's where we come upon a total standstill." Espio sighed. "I'm nearly positive that the culprit behind this is Scourge. This criminal has been working with others these past cases…He's planning something. And we have no idea where he is or what he's doing."

"But what's he need Manic and Sonic for?" Sonic demanded. "I thought he was only after the Chaos Emeralds and anything with an insane amount of power!"

"I…I think he wants their medallions." Tessa said suddenly, horror on her face. "They _are_ powerful…but with you, Sonic, they're even stronger. Maybe he's going to use them to get to you somehow."

"The _nerve_ of that other faker!" Sonic hissed, pounding his fist into his open palm. "I'll teach him a lesson he won't ever forget…when I find him, I'll make him drink that poison…"

"Sonic, that's not helping." Vector sighed.

"Scourge has _five_ Emeralds now…we have one…there's only one left. He also has a Cyan Emerald from Duskzilla… and now Manic and Sonia. He's also not working alone. What is he planning with all this?"

"I have a feeling we'll find that out really soon." Espio sighed.

**XxXxXxXx**

Madame Sharada and Randi were sitting in the fortune telling 'tent', facing the magic crystal ball.

"Will they solve this?" Randi asked worriedly, twisting her amulet around on its chain.

"Only fate will decide." Madame Sharada said. "Scourge is playing a dangerous game. Winning will mean destruction of Mobius. Losing will mean destruction for himself."

"What about the prophecy?"

"What about it?"

" 'Opposites will replace the originals'…?"

"Ah. Perhaps that's a glance at the future. If it is, Chaos help us all."

** XxXxXxXx**

** And more epicness is on the way. If things seemed a little rushed, it's not my fault. But I do have to start taking two days to write one mystery now, maybe more. Especially when I come to the final ones, here. About when I reach Troy168 and Iris Taishou the chapters will come slower. Because that's almost the finale….**

** Darn you, Scourge!**

** Next up is luvrofpokemon! **

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**


	12. Chapter 11: Love's Murder

**Chapter 11: Love's Murder**

**Chapter by luvrofpokemon. **

**Ooooh, man, guys…the ending is gonna be great! I finally got most of the details worked out last night, and BreezyT.C finally has a chapter name! (Which is accurate, as you will soon see…Muhahaha) **

**Oh, ok, both Blade AND Shade are OCs, ok? (But they aren't mine.)**

**And I apologize if everything is a little…scatterbrained and violent today. Actually, I have to put up a 'BLOOD WARNING' for this chapter. It's another murder. I had a long night of 90 degree weather in which I couldn't sleep in, and when I actually DID sleep I had these horrifying nightmares that were unusually bad. **

**Ok, story time.**

It was a rather quiet day at the Agency. At least everyone got to eat their breakfast in peace. But around noon another letter came in the mail.

Vector was the first to reach it, pulling it open and reading it quickly before handing it off to Espio. Charmy hovered his shoulder.

'_Help! My girlfriend's been murdered! I've found a knife and part of a purple quill as evidence, but police refuse to investigate. You're my last hope! __Meet me at Maple Drive at 2 p.m. this afternoon._'

Instantly, Espio ran off to check the map of the area, both to locate where Maple Drive was and to see if it formed part of the star. Vector began gathering up equipment and Charmy sort of hovered in the air, not sure of what to do. He eventually grabbed a piece of paper and wrote Breezy a love letter.

"Another murder…this time one a bit bigger than a Chao," Espio muttered. "And it doesn't seem to form a point. But then again, Maple Drive is probably just the meeting place."

"Bring the map. We'll ask our client about the murder and hopefully gather up clues." Vector said.

Two in the afternoon came quickly. The three detectives left shortly before it, walking a few blocks until they came to a street sign that said 'Maple Drive. A black hedgehog that wore simple clothes: a black t-shirt with a white skull on it, jeans, black boots, and white gloves stood leaning against it, a worried look on his face.

He caught sight of them and blurted, "Are you the detectives? Thank Chaos you've come! This way!"

He motioned for them to follow down the drive. The hedgehog set the pace, almost running at times. Vector caught up to him. "What's your name?"

"Blade. My girlfriend, Shade…she's been murdered."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

They came to a small house near the back of the drive. All the windows were hidden by curtains and it seemed as though everyone in the house was still asleep.

"She texted me, saying that she'd stop by my house…" Blade held up his phone, where the message, 'hey hun. cumin 2 ur home soon. c u a bit l8r' was written. "But she never came. I stopped back here to see if she was just running late or something…and I found this."

As they approached the door, it became very clear that someone had forced it open. Splintered wood lined the welcome mat and what looked like dents covered the entire door. Up close, it was apparent that someone had forced their entry, but from the street…nothing looked unusual.

"The inside's worse." Blade muttered, pushing the door open. It creaked loudly, threatening to fall off its one intact hinge.

They entered into a nice living room, where a black coat was thrown to the floor. Vector stooped down to look at it, in case there was some DNA on it. He found plenty…the coat wasn't just naturally black, but darkened by blood.

"There's a knife over there." Blade motioned into a corner, silent tears welling up in his eyes. "Why would someone do this?"

Espio quickly walked across the room towards the knife. A strong feeling of déjà vu nearly knocked him backwards as he saw the familiar and unwelcome sight of the red, blue and black designs. This knife was a duplicate of the one that had killed Breezy the Cat's Chao. "Scourge!" He growled.

"That's not all." Blade continued, not catching what Espio had said. "The worst of it starts in the kitchen."

"Charmy stay here and guard the house from robots." Vector said.

"What? Oh…um…I don't know if I can do that, but I'll try…" Charmy stuttered, flying in circles and saying snitches of other sentences that sounded like a terribly written love poem.

The other three entered the kitchen, momentarily stunned by what they saw. A trail of blood spread from the middle of the kitchen towards another room, as though the murdered had been dragged. In the middle of the other room lay Shade.

The knife had no doubt been stabbed into her chest and drawn out, leaving a bloodied hole in her dark blue T-shirt; the cause of the trail and guaranteed death. She wore a blue scarf, but it was tied into a knot and tightened to the point of suffocation. Her eyes were still open, staring unblinkingly at the roof.

Clutched in her hand was a sliver of purple, the quill that Blade had mentioned.

"I don't know why someone would do this." Blade whispered.

"Did she have any enemies?" Vector asked.

"No. She was the kindest person I had ever known." Blade sank to his knees, staring at Shade's dead eyes. "And now she's gone. Today was her birthday…we were going to spend it together."

There was the sound of creaking wood coming from the entry hall and a loud, "HIII-YAAA!" followed by a equally loud, "OUCH!"

The three in the other room came running back to see Charmy hiding behind the couch, glaring at a multi-shaded purple hedgehog with a red tank-top, jeans, green gloves, and red shoes. She was rubbing the side of her head, probably where the bee had kicked her.

"Violet?" Blade asked. "What are you doing here? I almost didn't recognize you…"

"I was going to ask the same thing to that kid, but he didn't give me the chance. He just came flying at me shouting, 'robot!'" Violet sighed. "But I came to get Shade so we could go to the mall."

"Oh, Violet…this is Vector, Espio and Charmy, the Chaotix Detective Agency." Blade said. "They're here because Shade….was murdered."

Violet's eyes grew wide and she stumbled backwards. "What do you mean?" She shrieked.

"She's dead," Vector said.

"No way!" Violet whispered. "Where is she? I have to see this for myself!"

She spotted the knife in the corner, running over to it and staring. "Was she killed by this? Oh Chaos…" She caught sight of the blood trail ion the kitchen and followed it into the other room with a loud scream. "My only friend's dead!"

Vector gently pried the quill that Shade was holding before she died out of her hand, holding it up near Violet's quills. The shade was lighter, almost translucent.

"That rules her out." he muttered, putting the quill in a small evidence bag.

"Vector, I don't know if you've seen the knife, but it's the same type as the one that killed Breezy's Chao." Espio said.

"Are you kidding me? This place doesn't even connect with the star shape…Shade couldn't possibly have a Chaos Emerald!"

"Maybe she had something else…"

"Like what?"

"I don't know. An object of power…maybe she could channel Chaos Energy. But we'll never know now, unless she told Blade anything."

"What's that?" Violet asked, tears streaming down her face. She pointed to something shining in Shade's side.

Espio knelt down and dislodged it from her body, standing up and holding one of his ninja stars out. "No doubt who did it now. Scourge still had some of mine."

"Who's Scourge? He killed Shade?" Blade demanded. "Where is he? I'll find him and destroy him for what he did!"

"We can't find him. He's been the cause of our past mysteries…he always disappears before we manage to confront him." Espio said. "He's also planning something. If only I knew what, so we could stop it before it really happened…"

Charmy flew into the room and stopped, staring at Shade's dead body with horror. He dropped like a rock out of the sky, turned and ran screaming, shouting, "THE ROBOTS GOT IN! I'M SORRY!"

"Hold on a second…" Vector muttered mostly to himself. He said in a louder voice, "Blade, you said that Shade's birthday was today, right?" He glanced at Violet.

"Yeah." Blade whispered.

Much to Vector's surprise, a hint of shock came upon Violet's face._ And she called herself Shade's friend...without even knowing her birthday_?

"And you said you were going to spend the day with her?" Vector continued.

"Yeah,"

"Violet said she stopped by to pick up Shade so the two of them could go to the mall."

"I'm…lousy with remembering things." Violet muttered.

"Then why did you dye your quills a deeper purple?"

Violet took a step backwards, surprise on her face. "What do you mean?"

"You really need to work on applying dye." Vector sighed. "I'm guessing you murdered Shade for whatever reason, returned home and attempted to dye your quills. Even Blade, whom I'm guessing you know well, said he hardly recognized you…from the dye, right?"

"Yeah…" Blade muttered.

"At least one thing is truthful about this." Espio said. "You _are_ lousy with remembering things. But what's with the knife?"

Violet dropped low and struck out with her left foot, catching Espio in the side, He recovered quickly and lunged at her.

"Oh, I'll tell you." Violet sneered. "This was my first mission. To kill all witnesses. And it looks as though I'll get more than one. You know part of the plan…I can't let you live. But I also can't take all of you on at once."

She threw herself at the nearest window, bursting through it and darting for the street at surprising speed. Even before Espio leapt after her, she was long gone.

"Violet did this?" Blade demanded. "_Why_? She and Shade were the closest friends I have ever seen!"

"Things have…._Changed_." Espio sighed.

"For the worst." Vector agreed.

**XxXxXxXx**

Draken sat in the corner of his cell, staring at the opposite wall like he had for the past, endless days. A loud bang caught his attention, making him get up and cross over to the door. Through the tiny barred window, he saw a guard keel over and lie, unmoving.

From around the corner came a dark shadow, darting towards the cell he was in and stopping a foot away, taking a shape of a hedgehog with dark gray-blue quills and piercing green eyes.

"Your sentence is over." He said, although he had no mouth. Draken's cell door clanged open and he stepped out.

"Who are you?"

"Your rescuer. We need people like you, Draken. You will be rewarded for joining us."

"As long as I'm not in that cell…" Draken reasoned.

"Tell me…what do you know about the Iblis Trigger…or rather, Sonic the Hedgehog?"

**XxXxXxXx**

**HAHAHA END! For now…**

**So…looks like Draken's back. This is getting interesting. **

**And now leave lots of reviews. Or Dr. Octopus—AKA Draken— will find you and kill you.**

**Next up is Blaze Luver!**

**Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

**PS: Feel free to vote on my new poll!**


	13. Chapter 12: Blaze Luver's Mystery

** Chapter 12: *no chapter name submitted.***

** BLAZE LUVER, I HAVE RECEIVED NO DESCRIPTION OF YOUR OC. I AM MAKING THE DESCRIPTION UP AS I GO ALONG. PM ME TO FIX THIS.**

** Blaze Luver's chapter here. And just to let you guys know how much I have typed, this is page 103 on a Microsoft WORD 2007 document. This mini series here might extend past page 130, but that's at the max. Now to begin.**

Dark Misery finally dropped off the promised electronics he said he would bring. Charmy was particularly pleased, as they now had another TV. Blade had paid them for finding Violet guilty of murder, turning to the police to help hunt her down. Shade's funeral was the next day.

Now to pass the time between then and the funeral, the three were pacing back and fourth across the main floor, trying to think of anything that would help them with their search for Scourge.

GhostKing eventually came from upstairs, sitting on the bottom step and watched them pace. "How's Duskzilla been holding up?"

"Pretty ok." Vector mumbled.

"So there's still one Emerald out there?"

"Yeah." Espio said.

"Shouldn't you get to work finding it?"

"We tried. It should be somewhere in the town, but we haven't found it!" Charmy growled. "And it's really making me mad!"

"Well, go talk to Knuckles or Shadow. They seem to always find one when they're looking."

"Hey, maybe Knuckles already has it!"

"You're welcome." GhostKing headed back to her study.

"Let's go, you guys!" Charmy said happily, zooming towards the door.

Just as he was about to reach it, it flew open and slammed him into a wall. A reddish brown hedgehog ran in, followed quickly by Tails. "I need your help!" She screamed.

"What? What's wrong?" Vector asked.

"We were just up at Angel Island…and-" Tails started.

"My boyfriend! He's gone! He's-" The hedgehog sobbed.

"-Emerald's broken! And there's no sign of-"

"-Killed him! I just know it!"

"-We sort of need your help."

There was a moment of silence in which both Tails and the hedgehog stared at them expectantly.

"…What?" Espio asked.

The hedgehog sighed. "Sorry. I freaked out. We went up to visit my boyfriend, Knuckles, and he wasn't there. His friend who was visiting wasn't there either…and the Master Emerald was shattered, one piece missing."

"Knuckles wouldn't leave on his own free will like that." Tails chimed in. "It looked as though there was a struggle. There's ripped cloth and deep marks in the dirt."

"We'll go investigate. Who are you, by the way?" Vector asked.

"Rachel The Hedgehog." She said. She wore a red shirt and blue jeans, white gloves and white and black striped shoes.

"All right. I hope your X Tornado can hold us all, Tails." Espio said.

**XxXxXxXx**

After much yelling, arguing, and near-death experiences, they made it up to Angel island; surprisingly in one piece. The Master Emerald alter was empty, the shards of the Emerald lying nearby. Espio began searching the area while the others tried to get more information from Tails and Rachel.

"So you just came up here and it was just like this?" Vector asked.

"Pretty much, yeah. We actually moved the shards a little…that's how we found that one was missing. I don't know where the heck it could have gone…along with Knuckles…"

"Knuckles never told us he had a girlfriend!" Charmy said, a huge grin on his face.

"Shut up. We're working," Vector growled. "Now go help Espio."

Charmy flew over to his other companion, who held up a small scrap of cloth. "This looks like it came from Duskzilla."

"Were they kidnapped?" Charmy asked.

"It would seem so. But Rachel said something about an Emerald shard that's missing? Perhaps they kidnapped Duskzilla and broke the Master Emerald, using the piece to lure Knuckles. But without more evidence…I don't know." Espio sighed.

"Could Scourge have done this?"

Espio surveyed the area. "Possibly. But I tend to notice that wherever he strikes, it ends in death… or theft, like this."

"Oh no!" Charmy wailed.

"Hey! We're heading back to the Agency!" Tails called. "We'll think of a plan there!"

They piled into the rather cramped aircraft and sped off. Rachel stared at the town they were nearing, tears spilling from her eyes. Charmy got choked up too and sat on her shoulder, saying, "It's ok! We'll find him! Love always triumphs!"

Espio rolled his eyes, but Vector just sighed.

Rachel let out a loud shout. "Look! Right there! Did you see that? A shadow just moved!"

"What do you mean?" Tails called from the mini cockpit.

"Land somewhere! We need to check this out!"

Tails set the plane down rather bumpily on an abandoned farm lot, the group launching themselves out of the cramped aircraft and darting after Rachel. "Hold up!" Charmy shouted.

She ran towards an abandoned building, throwing the door open (and off its hinges) and darting inside. Charmy and Tails were the first to catch up to her.

Rachel's eyes filled with horror at what she saw.

Knuckles and Duskzilla were tied back to back to two chairs, some sort of dark energy binding them in place and keeping them from making a sound. Duskzilla's eyes were wide with fear and Knuckles looked ready to take off someone's head. When he saw Rachel, though, some of the hostility vanished.

"What happened?" Rachel shouted as the others caught up.

"Rachel the Hedgehog. I need your Chaos Emerald, or you can say goodbye to your precious companions!" A dark voice laughed. Another shadow in the corner moved, taking a shape that Espio recognized immeadentally.

"Mephiles," He growled.

"Wh-what do you want with my Emerald?" Rachel asked, backing up slightly.

"Well, your Chaos Emerald isn't a Chaos Emerald, but a gem with Iblis sealed inside of it. I need Iblis, and you need Knucklehead here." Mephiles laughed.

"No way!" Rachel shouted.

"We could do this the easy way…or the hard way. Your choice." Mephiles waved his hand with a flourish, a blade appearing in a poof of darkness. A blade with blue, red and black designs…

"Drop the knife!" Espio commanded, ninja stars in his hands.

"Yeah! Drop it! Or we'll…uh…we'll seriously wound you!" Charmy threatened.

"How can you harm a shadow?" Mephiles cackled, pressing the knife to Knuckles' throat. "Last chance before I let him bleed out."

Rachel smiled, ducking her head as laughter shook her shoulders.

"Why are you laughing?" Tails squeaked.

"This is pointless. I really thought you were serious for a second." Rachel laughed. "Let's end this."

A swirling mass of water and electricity appeared in the palm of her hand, growing bigger and bigger until it was about the size of her head. She slung it at Mephiles, sending him backwards and releasing his hold on the darkness that was keeping Knuckles and Duskzilla prisoner. They sprang up, on the defensive.

"Get the heck out of here or I really will destroy you!" Rachel growled.

"Oh, I've already got what I wanted…" Mephiles laughed, melting away into shadows and vanishing.

"How did you find us?" Knuckles asked.

"I saw him on the roof, like he was luring us here. That backfired." Rachel laughed. "I'm glad you're ok!" She flung her arms around his neck.

"Awww!" Charmy cried.

"Rachel…" Knuckles blushed a fiercer shade of red. "That's enough. What did he mean by what he last said?"

"I don't know." Rachel pulled out a flaming red stone from her pocket. It was oval in shape and seemed to harbor a shadow of a fire inside it. "But he's after this. And it does indeed shelter Iblis' spirit. If he gets this…it's all over. To tell you the truth, I really thought he was after my Emerald."

"You have one?" Vector demanded.

"Yeah. Why?" Rachel pulled the final Emerald from her other pocket. Tails grabbed it.

"I'll run this back to the lab!" He shouted, running off.

"Hey, you can't just…" Rachel protested, but Espio grabbed her arm as she tried to run after him.

"This is for your own good. You're lucky you haven't been attacked by anyone else yet because of your possessions."

"What do you mean?"

"There's a madman on the hunt for those. We're trying to keep them safe…but we only have two of the seven." Vector sighed. "But you saved us a ton of trouble."

"How did you do that thing with the water and light show?" Charmy asked. "It was so cool!"

"Well, the rock with Iblis in it helps boost my power. I was born with this power, but it's only really strong when I have the stone." Rachel shrugged.

Espio had retrieved the knife that Mephiles had dropped. "So he's with him too…"

"Seems like everyone is." Vector sighed. "Come on. Let's get out of here. Someone go get Tails so we can go back to the first place."

** XxXxXxXx**

"NO!" Knuckles shouted as they finally landed on Angel Island. "THEY TOOK THE REST OF THE MASTER EMERALD!"

"What?" Duskzilla gasped.

"Mephiles couldn't have taken it all by himself, could he?" Rachel asked.

"I think that he was providing a distraction," Espio said. "So someone else could get up here and take the rest."

"They somehow managed to get onto the Island earlier, breaking the Emerald and taking a shard. Duskzilla and I followed the traces of Chaos Energy…and then Mephiles ambushed us." Knuckles growled. "In a way, we walked right into this trap."

"This really isn't good, though." Tails sighed. "Even if we have a safe storing place for the Emeralds we managed to get, the Master will always track the others. Its no good now. We either have to hide the Emeralds or keep on the run."

"We've got to warn the others!" Charmy exclaimed.

"Come on! Not a moment to waste!" Espio leapt over the side of the X Tornado and prepared for the flight home.

"Wait!" Rachel shouted. "Take this!"

She threw the rock with Iblis' spirit sealed in it at him. Espio caught it. "I think it's worth more to you than me." Rachel said. "Just take care of it! It's really all I can pay you with!"

"Right." Espio promised. "We won't let any harm come to it."

** XxXxXxXx**

** HA! 2 chapters in one day! This is good! Only two more mysteries to go! The suspense will mount and be epic! The villains will actually be evil because I've worked on character development! **

** …Oh yeah. Anyone know what Metal Sonic's transformation is called? Metal Madness or Overlord or something?**

** Ok, short warning: I just applied for a job. I may have shortened writing time coming up, but I think I can finish this series before that.**

** You like, Blaze Luver?**

** I'm on page 109 now! 34,091 words! **

** Next up is Troy 168!**

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**


	14. Chapter 13: Revenge of the Ultimate Dare

** Chapter 13: Revenge of the Ultimate Dare Challenge**

** Sent in by Troy 168**

** Few things: Ok, the beginning is a little slow, but it's really important. And I'm really sleep-deprived. So don't be too weirded out if you find strange typos. **

** Begin teh story (That typo is on purpose)**

Shade's funeral was as depressing as you can imagine. Her entire family was there, including the members of the Chaotix Detective Agency, GhostKing included. With the detectives were Vanilla and Breezy, along with many past clients; Tamara, Grock, Randi, Rachel, Tessa, Dark Misery, Dull, Light, Duskzilla, Reece and Cinnamon. In fact, many of the people at the funeral knew each other well.

Blade was on the verge of tears throughout the entire thing, Charmy occasionally patting him on the back; close to tears himself.

Espio, as always, looked completely emotionless. And completely out of place.

"This is so sad," Tails sighed after the funeral was over. "Poor Blade. I can't imagine losing anyone really close to me."

"Scourge will pay dearly for this." Vector nodded.

The detectives walked back to the agency, finding a red envelope with golden stars lying on the doormat. GhostKing picked it up and handed it to Vector. "It's for you. Looks suspicious to me."

**XxXxXxXx**

"Welcome to Revenge of the Ultimate Dare Challenge!" The talk-show host exclaimed. "I'm Troy. And I'm very grateful you could make it. This is my fourth and most popular season." Troy was a human that has Black/Brown hair, green eyes, and a black jacket over his shirt, and he wore jeans and some sneakers.

"What are the facts?" Espio asked.

"I have a feeling that someone is sabotaging the show," Troy explained. "Things are rigged so a certain contestant is winning everything. Even things they shouldn't be."

"What's the prize for winning this show?" Vector asked.

Troy beamed. "Five rule free wishes. You want a car? You got it. You want money? You got it. You want a house? You got it. Any possession out there, we'll get it for you. A great reward, for an extremely hard show, don't you think? I grant the wishes myself."

"A little _too_ great." Charmy muttered.

"All right…well, any suspects?" Vector asked.

"My co-host, Greg, caught a man walking around backstage in a trench coat. All he managed to get out of him was that one of the six victors that won the last challenge is a suspect. And just a few days ago we spotted two white-furred bats in the alley, like they were rigging something."

"What was the reward for winning the last season?" Espio asked.

"You had to work in teams of six. The winners got one wish each. This one is worth so much more." Troy said.

"Who were the winners of the last season?"

"I have a picture of them for the moment. Later you can interview them." Troy pulled out a crumpled photograph from a pocket.

It showed six Mobians cheering; three cats, a dog, a bat and a hedgehog. The dog was holding an enormous trophy over his head, a wide grin on his face.

"They don't seem like they would unnecessarily do anything wrong." Charmy said.

"Innocent until proven guilty, Charmy." Vector said.

** XxXxXxXx**

The only contestant from the last season they managed to get ahold of was one of the cats. He was tall, almost taller than Vector. He was obviously a strong runner.

"Have you seen anything weird the last time you were here?" Charmy asked as soon as he walked into the door.

"Charmy!" Espio growled.

"Uh…weird like what? There's a lot of weird things here." The cat shrugged. "No offence, Troy."

"None taken." Troy beamed. His teeth should come with a warning, 'DO NOT STARE AT TEETH. PERMANENT BLINDNESS MAY OCCURE.'

"Like weird people and stuff!" Charmy piped up again, Vector shot him a death glare.

"Oh, there's plenty of those." The cat said. "I'm sorry, I didn't give you my name yet. I'm Zoro."

"What kind of weird-" Charmy started but Vector slapped him off to the side.

"Well, there was a few people hanging around near the back alleys." Zoro said. "They were wearing black, so I didn't really get good looks at them. I just know there were three people."

"Troy, when's the next show?" Espio asked.

"Tomorrow night." Troy said.

"Continue as you usually do. We'll look around and watch the contestants for any sign of obvious cheats. This should make everything to faster."

** XxXxXxXx**

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Revenge of the Ultimate Dare Challenge!" Troy beamed at the audience. "Tonight I have a real surprise for you…"

Charmy was sitting in the front row, cheering loudly along with the crowd. Espio and Vector were backstage around the alleyways, hunting around for anyone suspicious. They had found nothing so far.

"Vector!" Espio hissed.

"What?"

"Look. Someone's over there."

Indeed, someone wearing a long, black cape or something was moving smoothly from alley to alley, pausing occasionally to wait and then continuing on. "Come on." Vector said.

They began to follow the mysterious figure.

The guy stopped and entered a door that was almost completely hidden in shadows. Espio followed quickly, Vector trying not to make a lot of noise.

"Don't move." The figure hissed. The faint light in the room caught the metal of the gun the figure were holding.

"Who are you?" Espio demanded.

The figure hesitated for a few seconds. Then they put the gun down. "What did you do to get caught up in this too?"

It took Vector two seconds to realize who they were talking to. "_GhostKing?_"

"Yeah. Come on, we wasted valuable time." GhostKing burst past them and seemed to fly into the alley. "I knew you were following me, by the way. You need to work on stalking. Pick up a few tips from Amy."

"Hey…" Vector growled, but he followed his boss out of the abandoned room.

"So why are you here?" Espio asked. "Troy hired us to find out who was sabotaging the show."

"And I'm here to find an assassin." GhostKing sighed. "This guy's good. He's evaded me three times already."

"Oh, boy. Who's he targeting?" Vector asked.

"He's killed all the victors from the previous season. As far as I know, the final winner is here…and he's not safe."

"We need to get back. Charmy and Zoro are in the front seats of the show…" Espio growled.

"_D'Arvit!_" GhostKing swore.

** XxXxXxXx**

"THIS SHOW IS AMAZING!" Charmy exclaimed.

"I know! And really hard!" Zoro agreed.

"How does she do that? She's winning almost everything!" Charmy said, pointing to the white bat that had gracefully owned the next competition.

"Yeah, she's really good!" Zoro agreed. "Now please excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom."

He carefully made his way out of the hall, walking back towards the exits, where the bathrooms were located. Just as he was about to enter the door, someone stopped him.

"All right. Turn around slowly."

"Who're you?" Zoro demanded, realizing with horror that the figure was holding a gun. They were dressed completely in black, save two small slits for eyeholes.

"An assassin. You end here." The figure cocked the gun. "Any last words?"

A foot connected solidly with the assassin's arm, making the gun skitter off into a corner. Espio flipped over to it, picking it up and tossing it to GhostKing, who held both her gun and the assassin's. "Give it up."

The assassin laughed. Over the roar of the crowd in the background, the sound was almost inaudible. "You really think you're a big deal, don't you? You don't even know who you're working for."

Doubt flickered onto GhostKing's face. "I know you're here to murder an innocent. I'm here to stop you."

"How do you know they're innocent?"

GhostKing fired. The figure ducked with amazing speed, then leapt up and turned a summersault in the air, landing gracefully behind the group. GhostKing kept firing while the figure kept dodging with amazing agility.

The first gun clicked on an empty cylinder. The second was close to follow.

"Good job on stopping me." The assassin sneered. A crowd had gathered around them now, police men trying to hold back the hysterical crowd.

Espio leapt up, throwing ninja stars as he went. The figure dodged, ducked and lashed out, actually sending Espio stumbling back a few feet. He recovered quickly, attacking the assassin as fiercely as he could.

Zoro, meanwhile, slipped away.

Vector, GhostKing and Espio had the upper hand now. The assassin was backed into a corner, with nowhere to run. GhostKing yanked the mask off their face and gasped.

"_Shadow?_"

** XxXxXxXx**

There was a short intermission between the first scene and second for Troy's show. Charmy decided to find where Zoro had gone to, but a lot of people began to block the exits, screaming about murderers and masked people.

Once he finally got though the doors, he found GhostKing, Vector, Espio and out of all people, Shadow, handcuffed and being lead away by security. "Guys! What did you do?"

"It's not 'what we did', it's apparently what we 'attempted to do'." Vector growled.

"Let my friends go! They're only trying to keep this place safe! There's a murderer and stuff!"

"The so-called murderer was Shadow." Espio said.

"…What?"

"GhostKing was hired by some guy to try to kill Shadow! Charmy, you need to find Zoro and stop him! He's-" Espio started, but the police lead them into a room and the door was locked.

Charmy hovered in midair for a few seconds, not really sure what to do. He plucked up what courage he had and said out loud, "I am Charmy Bee! I will stop this guy, even if it kills me!" He began to fly off, then hesitated and said, "Well…maybe not go to extremes of _killing_ me…but I'll do my best!" Then he flew off.

** XxXxXxXx**

"Was that the best idea, sending him off like that?" Shadow growled.

"Probably not." GhostKing sighed.

They were all forced into separate chairs, facing a long table with a sullen-looking man staring at them. A few police officers stood by him. "You are all under arrest."

"Figures." Vector muttered.

"Concealed weapons in a public place, attempted murder and violence…you have a long list of crimes committed in the past half-hour."

"Yeah…about the concealed weapon part…" GhostKing kicked at her boot, where it fell off. A belt was tied around her leg, filled with seven knives of all lengths and sharpness. "I have more."

A few of the police men came over to retrieve the knives. GhostKing slammed her foot into one's face, using her forehead to down the other. She flipped one knife up into her teeth, where she grabbed it. She jerked her head backwards, throwing the knife into the air. She angled herself so the knife fell blade first into the key slot in the handcuffs. She broke free immeadentally.

"Guards!" The man shouted, but GhostKing held a blade to his face.

"I wouldn't do that." She warned, picking another knife from the belt. She went over to Espio and freed him, giving him the knife to get the others out.

"So what's the deal with Zoro?" GhostKing asked Shadow.

"He's part of the sabotaging of this show." Shadow said. "One of the contestants is working with him…and they'll use the five wishes to bring Scourge to true power. We need to stop them."

"Somehow I knew this was going to happen…" Vector sighed.

** XxXxXxXx**

Charmy flew backstage, looking for Zoro. The cat had vanished without hardly a trace, but Charmy was pretty sure that he had taken refuge backstage.

Troy was announcing the next Dare Challenge to the crowd that was gathering back in the stage area. It sounded pretty awesome. Too bad Charmy would have to miss it. Intermission was only going to last another five minuets and he was certain that he was going to miss everything after that.

A flash of white fur caught his attention. He followed it and found a white bat with large ears staring out one of the windows. "Rouge?"

The bat turned. It wasn't Rouge, but she did look a lot like her. "Huh? Who're you? What are you doing back here?" her voice was different too.

"I'm looking for a weirdo cat." Charmy said proudly.

"Haven't seen any." The bat said.

"Charmy!"

Charmy spun around to see the others, somehow free from the clutches of evil police men. "Guys! You're alive!"

"Rouge?" Shadow asked.

"I'm not Rouge! I'm her sister, May!" the bat shouted. "Jeez, get it right! I haven't seen Rouge in days!"

"Same here… do you have any idea where she went?"

"No." May sighed. "Come over here, though. I have something to show you."

The group began to follow her. Espio hung back a fair distance, staring at something on the floor. It looked a bit like…makeup. But makeup didn't come in ashy gray, did it?

"Hey,"

Espio glanced up to see that May was back. "You know, you're kinda cute."

"I don't have time." Espio sighed, turning to follow his friends.

"Oh, come on." May grabbed his arm, pulling him back "One kiss…just for me?"

"Uhhhhh…" Espio sort of froze in place. He had never kissed a girl before. This was sure an awkward situation.

** XxXxXxXx**

Meanwhile, with the others, May lead them down a short hall until they came to a small room. Standing in the middle of it was Zoro.

"Get him!" Shadow shouted, lunging forward. Before he could make another move, a hard-heeled boot slammed him into the ground. May dug her boot into his back, preventing him from moving. "Not while I'm here." She hissed.

The others began to take action immeadentally. May was just as skilled as Rouge when it came to fighting, and Zoro had skills that rivaled Espio and Shadow.

"Hey…where _is_ Espio, anyway?" Charmy asked, zipping around May to try to confuse her.

"We'll worry about him later! Just get these guys!" Vector growled.

** XxXxXxXx**

"I…uh…I should really find my friends…" Espio said.

"Oh, come on." May pouted. "Haven't you always wanted someone a bit more than a friend?"

Espio decided that the response 'not really' wasn't very accurate. "Uh…I guess…"

May leaned in and kissed him. Espio was sort of taken by surprise for two reasons. One, she was a really good kisser, and two…some of the gray stuff he had found on the floor had been on her lower lip.

That was the last thought he had before falling unconscious.

** XxXxXxXx**

GhostKing managed to kick Zoro in the face, allowing the others to force him to the ground. May, on the other hand, was still putting up a fight until Shadow took the knife that GhostKing had given him earlier and shoved it up against her neck.

"All right, what are you planning with the wishes?" Charmy demanded. "You're in the show this season, May!"

May didn't say anything. She just scowled at them. Zoro, on the other hand, began laughing. "You really don't know?"

"Oh, we know. We just want to know what you'd use the wishes for." Vector said.

"You killed the other contestants in the other season, didn't you?" Shadow growled. "Why? I never caught onto that."

"Because they knew. They knew our plan." Zoro laughed. "So they were killed. You decided to get to the bottom of the murders, didn't you? And you found me. I hired one of the best detectives to seemingly 'protect' me, therefore making her the villain. But then these three got caught up in this mess."

"You're working for Scourge…why?" Vector demanded.

"To protect Rouge!" May cried. "He took her…we don't know where she is! He told my sister and I to win the show or else she'd be killed!"

"Your sister?"

"My twin sister, Mary." May said. "We took turns onstage…we each have strengths and we played on them. She'd do a few challenges, and then switch out with me when my time to shine came. It was foolproof."

Zoro growled something under his breath.

"Twin sister?...uh…anyone know where Espio went, now?" GhostKing sighed.

"I'll find him!" Charmy shouted. He didn't get far before an identical clone of May burst into the room. That had to be Mary.

"Don't worry about him. He's taking a well-deserved break." She drew a knife from her pocket.

"May, help us. We'll get Rouge back. Just help us stop your sister and Zoro." Shadow said in a low voice.

"All right." May agreed. The two of them leapt at Mary along with the others. GhostKing glared at Zoro as if she dared him to move.

With their combined efforts, it didn't take them long to bring Mary down. "What did you do to Espio?" Charmy shouted.

"Nothing." Mary hissed.

"Mary, listen to me!" May pleaded. "We can save Rouge. We just need to help these guys!"

"And someone please get some guards in here! We need Zoro arrested!" GhostKing growled.

** XxXxXxXx**

"Espio! Say something! Are you dead?" Charmy shouted.

"Ow….Charmy…stop slapping me…" Espio muttered.

"Espio, how was it?" Vector asked.

"…What?"

"You kissed a girl. How was it? If it knocked you out, it must have been awesome." He snickered.

"Shut up…I didn't want to…" Espio groaned. "She had some sort of knockout powder on her lips…"

"Kinda smart." Charmy agreed.

"What happened?" Espio sat up.

"Zoro's been arrested. Both Mary—that was who kissed you, May's twin sister—and May agreed to help us stop Scourge. He apparently kidnapped Rouge and is using them to win Troy's show so they can get the five wishes for something. As far as we know, Mary and May are still pretending to be the villain to keep on Scourge's good side." Vector said.

"Oh,"

"And GhostKing cleared everyone' names, which I suppose is good. We were almost arrested twice in the past hour."

"That's good."

"And Troy gave us a ton of money!" Charmy squealed. "Let's go buy a Wii! No wait! I want to take Breezy for ice cream!"

"A bit of down time sounds good." Vector agreed. "When we get back to the Agency, we're calling Vanilla and Breezy up!"

"Hurray!" Charmy cheered.

Espio rolled his eyes and stood shakily. Girls….they were either crushing on you or knocking you out or a terrible mixture of both. He would never understand them.

Or his fellow detectives.

** XxXxXxXx**

** Haha. This was a fun chapter to write. Sorry, Espio. I bet I confused a couple of you for a while, Readers.**

** Hope you liked it, Troy 168. **

** And next is the final mystery before the finale, Iris Taishou! **

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**

** PS: VOTE ON MY POLL, **_**POR FAVOR**_**!**


	15. Chapter 14: It All Comes Together PT 1

**Chapter 14: It All Comes Together Pt 1**

** Iris Taishou, I hope you don't mind the title I made up. You didn't send one in…PM me to fix this.**

** But other than that, this is the final requested mystery. I had a ton of fun writing this, and I hope you all greatly enjoyed.**

** On to awesomeness…**

The hidden base was exacally that; hidden. The walls had not been penetrated by opposing forces, and the creator of the base didn't plan on that anytime soon.

In one of the darkest, furthest rooms in the back, behind a large ivory oak desk and reclined in an office chair was Scourge. In one hand he held a long knife; one decorated by blue, red and black markings. In the other he held a stone, sharpening the knife to its full potential.

"The Master Emerald's back in one piece, sir." Came a voice from a small communicator by his side. Scourge pressed a button on it and said, "Finally. I thought that she'd never get it."

He stood, placing the sharpening rock on the desk but taking the knife with him. He walked down a short hallway, coming to a steel door that opened as he approached it.

Rouge was kneeling beside the huge jewel, an angry look on her face. But there was nothing she could do; she had no weapons, and chains around her ankles kept her from attacking her captor. In the very back of the room behind bars that hummed with electricity were two more prisoners, both of which were staring at Scourge with hatred in their eyes.

"Magnificent job, Rouge." Scourge said, twirling the knife and catching it in midair.

"I think you could have done it faster." Said a guard to the very right of the room.

"It's in one piece, Draken. That's all that matters." Scourge said. He picked up his communicator and said, "How goes the Emerald hunt now that the Master Emerald's in one piece? Is your equipment transmitting correctly?"

"Perfectly. We've already located the last two. We're moving in to strike now." Came the voice of Dr. Robotnik.

"Good. Bring them back here as soon as possible. Kill anyone in your path. We're so close to succeeding…" Scourge laughed. "Now all we need is the final piece of the puzzle."

"You're crazy!"

Scourge turned his attention to the two prisoners in the back. "Is that what you think?"

"It's what I _know_! You're mad! If you think you can conquer our world like this…you're insane!" Manic shouted.

"Just you wait. My plan is flawless." Scourge growled. "And you'll participate in it. I don't care if you'd like it or not."

He strode out of the room, turning on the communicator again. "Have you located Sonic yet?"

"I have indeed." Came Mephiles' cold voice.

** XxXxXxXx**

"I'm glad you've finally caught a break." Vanilla said.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't easy." Vector replied.

They were seated at a small ice cream parlor, working on an enormous sundae together. There was no way only one of them would be able to eat themselves. In the booth next to them, Charmy and Breezy were seated, eating an equally large sundae. Nearby them were Cream and Cheese, the two of them playing 'Go Fish' and licking ice cream cones.

"Doesn't Espio have a friend?" Vanilla asked.

"No. He's too cool for that." Vector sighed. "I don't know. He's never really been interested in finding a certain someone. I guess all feelings were stomped out of him at Ninja School or wherever."

"Are you any closer to finding Scourge?" Vanilla lowered her voice.

"No. We've escaped death too many times and I'm pretty sure that our luck is running out. Either we'll take him down or he'll take us out." Vector decided. "So besides solving life-threatening cases, my days are boring."

"I always worry about people like you. Living every day and wondering if it'll be their last." Vanilla sighed, pausing to listen in on Breezy and Charmy's loud conversation.

"No way! Pokémon is better!" Charmy said.

"The games are, yeah! But the_ Yu-Gi-Oh!_ TV show is a ton better!" Breezy countered.

"Ok, fine!" Charmy huffed.

"Young love," Vanilla sighed.

"A bit _too_ young."

"How old is he again?"

"About eight. I think Breezy is more of a role model/hero to him than a girlfriend." Vector sighed.

"Hah! I won!" Cream cheered. Cheese looked rejected and began shouting something in that Chao language.

"At least they're carefree." Vanilla smiled. "Has anything…unusual…happened lately? Besides the fact that Scourge is basically behind everything and is threatening the very existence of our world?"

"Apparently Iblis wasn't destroyed." Vector said. "One of our clients has given us a stone with his spirit sealed inside it." He held out the flaming red stone.

"Can you destroy that?" Vanilla asked, horrified.

"I don't know yet. But I'll find out if-" Vector was cut off at the sound of breaking glass. He turned to see the main window of the parlor blow out, showering the inside of the building with shards of glass. "Duck!"

He and Vanilla ducked as the glass began to hit the floor nearby them. He hoped that Charmy, Breezy, Cream and Cheese had had enough warning…

Once the glass settled he stood slowly. Breezy and Charmy were under a table, huddled together with their arms over their heads. Cream and Cheese were crying, but otherwise unhurt. Vanilla was bleeding from a small cut to her forehead, but she would live. Vector himself had escaped injury.

The others in the parlor began to run, screaming, towards emergency exits. From the shattered window came a dark shadow, taking a shape as it went. "We meet again, Chaotix."

"Mephiles!" Vector hissed. "What are you doing here?"

"You have the stone. I need it. Hand it over and no one gets hurt." Mephiles held out his hand. "Refuse and the rabbit's the first to go."

"_Cream!_" Vanilla shouted. "Don't you dare touch her!"

Mephiles only laughed, walking over to the table Cream and Cheese were taking shelter under. He pulled her up by her ears, holding her a few feet away from her mother's face. "Make me." Mephiles sneered.

"Mom!" Cream wailed.

"Put her down! You can have the stone!" Vector shouted, holding the stone out in plain sight.

Mephiles simply threw Cream to the side and went to accept the stone. Vector leapt over him, throwing a chair as he went. Mephiles sunk to one knee, surprised by the sudden attack. Vector grabbed his arm and slammed him onto the table, breaking the wood in the process.

"Get out of here!" he shouted.

Vanilla managed to coax Charmy and Breezy out of hiding and they ran out of the parlor. She grabbed Cheese and Cream, glancing back and saying, "Be careful!"

Mephiles twisted out of Vector's grasp, knocking him backwards and blasting him into a wall. "You can't win."

"Yeah? Then why don't you destroy me and take the stone?" Vector growled, punching Mephiles into the opposite wall. "Or can't you? If you can't defeat me and I can't defeat you, then we're getting nowhere."

"Until it's two against one!" a voice shouted.

Vector didn't have time to turn to see who the newcomer was before something heavy slammed over his head and the world went dark. He managed to see the stone drop out of his hand and slide under a table.

** XxXxXxXx**

"So you have no interest in finding 'anyone special'?" GhostKing asked.

"I never planned on starting a family or anything else." Espio said simply.

"Join the 'Forever Alone' club, then. I'm practically the president of that thing." GhostKing said. "Well, I've got to go work on another case." She left.

Espio spent the next few hours sharpening most of his weapons and practicing his reflexes on multiple targets he set up around the agency. That was until Charmy, Breezy, Vanilla, Cream and Cheese came running in.

"Espio! It's terrible!" Charmy wailed. "Mephiles! He's…Vector…attacking!" He broke down in sobs.

"What?" Espio jumped up.

"A guy named Mephiles is trying to kill Vector!" Breezy translated. "I don't know if he's all right! You've got to help him!"

Espio ran for the door.

** XxXxXxXx**

"Vector! Wake up!"

"Ow…uh…Espio…?" Vector muttered.

"Are you all right?" Espio demanded.

"Stone…where is the stone?"

"The Iblis stone?" Espio asked.

"Mephiles was after it…"

"It's gone."

"…Great."

"What do we do now?" Espio asked, pulling him to his feet. "If Mephiles has the stone…we're in trouble."

"We have to warn Tails." Vector muttered, rubbing the place on his head where the attacker had hit him. "He has the Emeralds…he'll no doubt be targeted."

"Come on!"

The two of them ran out of the ruined parlor, darting towards Tails' lab. Long before they reached it, they knew something had gone horribly, terribly wrong. Dark smoke poured into the sky as though a giant had lit a bonfire to the heavens.

"Tails!" Espio shouted as they came to the source of the smoke. "Tails! Are you here?" He darted into the wreckage of the lab, Vector quickly following.

It didn't take long before they stumbled upon a mass of darkened yellow fur. Vector quickly picked up the injured fox and caught Espio's attention. "I found him!"

They ran out of the smoke, coughing hard. "Tails! Tails, say something!"

** XxXxXxXx**

"We've got the stone." Mephiles reported.

"Good! A bonus." Scourge simply said.

"We have everything we need besides the Iblis Trigger."

"We're working on that at this very instant." Scourge stabbed the knife he was holding into the table. "While you were away, I took the time to find the last two Emeralds that pathetic fox was keeping. He didn't know what hit him."

"I could have taken care of things myself. Why did you send her after me?" Mephiles asked.

"Who? Oh, yes…that battle of yours. I didn't send her after you." Scourge said. "Rosy must have been watching that entire time."

** XxXxXxXx**

"What do we do?" Breezy asked. "We're sort of stuck here…there has to be something we can do!"

"I know!" Charmy darted over to the phone and punched in a number. "Tamara? Hi, It's me, Charmy! We need your help! Gather up people and meet us at the Agency! Bring a lot of weapons and fireworks!" He hung up. "There. Probablem solved."

"Why fireworks?" Breezy asked.

"I like fireworks." Charmy grinned. "They explode. Maybe we can shoot them into Robotnik's base."

"That's really a terrible idea." Breezy sighed. "But knowing how weird people are, Tamara or whoever's going to bring fireworks."

"I hope they're the ones that make a lot of noise!" Charmy cheered.

They didn't have to wait long until the Agency's door was opened and a whole crowd of people ran through, Tamara leading them. "Hey, I found a lot of your past clients!" She said.

"You found every one of them!" Charmy said. "Er…Who're you?" He asked.

"I'm Aj!" a girl called, wielding a baseball bat like a club. "Why did you call us here?"

"We're going to help Vector and Espio!" Charmy said loudly. "There's a bunch of villains running around here, and we need your help to stop them! This is a very dangerous mission!"

"I laugh in the face of danger!" Dark Misery shouted. The crowd took up his cry.

"Ok, good! We should probably split up into a couple groups…" Charmy thought for a few seconds. "All right…Tamara, you take Grock and Duskzilla. Dark Misery, go with your siblings; Blade, you lead Cinnamon, Aj and Troy. Rachel, you're with Tessa and Randi. Breezy and I'll go with Reece! We're going to search around town for Vector and Espio, because I have no idea where they went and we sort of need them."

The crowd headed for the door. Just as Charmy was about to leave he turned to see GhostKing standing behind him. "I'm coming too." She said.

** XxXxXxXx**

"…Vector?" Tails coughed.

"Yeah. What happened? You could have died!" Vector shouted.

"Scourge came….took the Emeralds…" Tails managed to gasp. "Stop him…"

"Don't worry, that's the first thing on our agenda today."

"I…can help too…!"

"Not in that condition." Espio said. "We'll take you back to the Agency. GhostKing can look after you. Rest assured that we'll get the Emeralds back...only this time, all of them."

Tails struggled to his feet, nearly falling backwards. Espio helped him walk the short distance to the Agency. But before they could reach the door, they were surrounded by a whole mob of people.

"What do you want?...oh." Vector sighed, facepalming. "How did you _all_ manage to get caught up in this? And why do you all have weapons?"

A firework was launched somewhere in the crowd, exploding in reds and purples above their heads. "Sorry!" Cinnamon cried.

"We're going to help stop Scourge!" Duskzilla shouted.

The crowd cheered. "Thanks, but we can handle this." Espio pushed open the door and went inside to find GhostKing running down the stairs with her long saber that she had used in the past. "Not you too…" Espio sighed.

"Vanilla, Cream and Cheese are upstairs. What happened to Tails?" GhostKing gasped.

"His lab was destroyed."

"Vanilla can stay with him. Come on! We can't afford to lose a second!" GhostKing ran for the door.

"Where would we even begin to look for Scourge?" Vector asked.

"Somewhere not here." Espio growled. "Look at the facts…Scourge has been after anything and anyone with any type of power. A few people in this group with us possess that quality that he needs. But we're probably outnumbering him at the moment. The others that have power are Shadow and Sonic, so they're probably logical targets!"

** XxXxXxXx**

Sonic was running through the forest, not really caring where he was going as long as he was moving. He hadn't been able to escape from the world until now, and he had just broken the sound barrier and leapt straight up into the air, freefalling for a while before doing a shoulder roll and landing back on his feet, still running.

Up ahead, something moved. Sonic didn't have time to get out of the way as the explosion rocketed him off his feet, throwing him into a tree.

"I've got you now, Sonic!" the source of the explosion laughed. A huge purple and red robot stood, its large arm cannon aimed at the stunned hedgehog. "Don't bother trying to escape!"

Sonic stood, not hurt but just taken by surprise. "Haven't seen you in a while. Where've you been?"

"You'll find out soon enough!" Robotnik said. From out of a couple of trees dropped another robot, this one quite smaller and a lot more deadlier.

"Metal!" Sonic growled. "What'd you do, repair him?"

"I've also programmed him to be unstoppable!"

"We'll see how that works for you." Sonic spin-dashed at Metal.

The fierce battle lasted for at least twenty minuets as they landed punches and kicks on each other, neither one backing down or giving in. Sonic knew he could defeat Metal easily…but the real question was: Why wasn't Robotnik trying to take him out at the same time? He was just sitting in the control center of the robot, watching.

Metal slammed a fist into Sonic's stomach, sending him flying backwards into a tree and knocking the wind out of his lungs. Sonic struggled back to his feet, but Metal was faster, knocking him back down and smashing a rock-hard fist into his head.

"Perfect!" Robotnik shouted.

** XxXxXxXx**

"All right…where the heck would Sonic be?" Charmy asked.

"Anywhere." Grock shrugged. "He could be out running somewhere."

"If that's the case, then we need to get a move on." Reece said.

"He could be anywhere!" Charmy said.

"This is going to be a bit harder than I thought…" Vector sighed.

They had been wondering the woods nearby, trying to find a trail to follow. Since they had been around Sonic's house, they found a note taped to the door that said something along the lines of, "Be back soon." And then a hardly noticeable trail leading back to the woods.

"We'll split up! Everyone go in the groups I assigned you to earlier!" Charmy resumed command.

"I forgot what group I was in!" Rachel said.

Vector sighed.

"I don't think that'll be necessary…" Aj said, staring at the ground. Look at this!"

A large footprint, big enough to hold at least three of them, was stamped into the ground. A few feet away another just like it was printed into the ground. They lead deep into the woods.

"Whatever this was…it's going that way." Espio pointed. "And something tells me if we find it, we find Sonic."

"Help!"

The large group turned to see a tall fox with red fur accented by gold. She wore a royal blue kimono and sandals and a worried expression on her face. "I need your help!"

"What is it?" Espio asked.

"I saw what this thing was." She pointed to the large footprint. "It…it carried off my friend! His name's Sonic!"

"We're trying to find him too!" Randi shouted.

"Join the club, here. We'll get him back." Breezy said.

"Thanks. I'm Riza." The fox said. "I'll try and help you as much as I can."

** XxXxXxXx**

Sonic slowly regained consciousness, becoming aware that he was somewhere on a cold floor. He slowly sat up only to find that he was in a jail cell.

"Sonic!"

He stared out the bars to see Manic and Sonia not too far away in a similar cell. Next to them was Rouge, who looked mildly surprised. "How'd you wind up here?"

"Long story." Sonic hissed. "Where are we?"

"Pretty much the base of everyone evil." Manic sighed. "Scourge has everything he needs to take over this world now."

"This isn't good…" Sonic muttered. He began to glance around the room, looking for any security. The only thing he saw was a guard, asleep. Well, a guard with robotic limbs growing out of his spine, but a guard, nonetheless.

"All right. Let's get out of here before something major happens." Sonic prepared to spin-dash into the door.

"Wait! Don't do that…!" Sonia warned, but it was too late. With a loud zap, Sonic was sent flying backwards into the wall.

"…The bars are electrified." Sonia facepalmed.

"Thanks for the warning." Sonic muttered, standing back up and eyeing the bars. As far as he could tell, there wasn't any weak spot.

"Well, this is going to hurt." He decided, preparing to spin-dash again.

"Are you crazy?" Rouge hissed.

Sonic hit the bars with a sharp _zap_, flying backwards again but getting up quickly and repeating the process twice…three times…four times…

"Sonic, you're going to kill yourself!" Sonia growled.

"No, I'm not…The bars are weakening…I know it…" Sonic stumbled to the side, barely keeping from falling over. He prepared to spin-dash one more time.

The door banged open, sending him flying across the room into the opposite wall. The guard awoke with a start.

"So you're Sonic." He growled, drawing a gun from his side. "I'm Draken. Pleased to meet you. Unfortunately, I have orders to kill you if you tried to escape."

Sonic stumbled to his feet, his vision clouding and then becoming overly sharp. He ducked as one of Draken's robot arms punched out at him. He lashed out at the guard's feet, knocking him to the ground. He leapt up, landing a punch in his stomach and keeping him down.

"You should be fired." Sonic muttered, darting towards the cells that held his siblings. He gritted his teeth and tore the lock open, setting them free. "Keep Draken busy." He freed Rouge.

Manic drew two steel drumsticks from out of nowhere, slamming them both into Draken's head while dodging his arms at the same time. Sonia landed a kick on one of his limbs, making it spark and then simply stop working.

"What's the plan?" Rouge asked.

"Get out…get away…you know; the works." Sonic muttered.

"I was hoping we could steal back the Emeralds."

"Yeah, well, that too."

The door to the room opened and Scourge darted in, two long knives in his hands. Sonia decided he was a bigger threat than Draken and ran at him, preparing to spin-kick him into the wall. He dodged, instead slamming the hilt of one of the knives into her back and keeping her down.

"Hey! Leave my sister alone!" Manic shouted.

"Make me." Scourge smiled evilly.

Manic lunged at him, feigning an attack and landing the real one on his head. Scourge stumbled a bit, allowing Manic to spin dash into his side and knock one of the knives out of his hands. Scourge recovered quickly, standing and kicking Manic into the wall.

"Well, Sonic. I guess it's just you and me." He recovered his other knife.

A deep rumble shook the walls of the room. Both hedgehogs stood for a few seconds, trying to pinpoint the noise. It was obviously bad news, because Scourge hissed something between barred teeth before viciously attacking.

Sonic dodged as he took wild swipes with the blades, ducking and trying to find a chance to strike. He felt his back press against a wall._ Not good_…

Scourge stabbed at him and he barely managed to roll out of the way, popping back up into a fighting stance and landing a kick in his side.

Scourge threw one of the knives, missing Sonic's head by inches and imbedding itself in the wall nearby. Sonic dodged as Scourge darted at him again, but he wasn't fast enough. Scourge's knee caught him in the stomach, forcing all the air out of his lungs and stunning him.

"Not so tough, are you?" Scourge hissed as another explosion seemed to rock the room. "Let's end this."

He threw the other knife.

Sonic managed to duck, but the blade still sliced through his arm. Red blood began to stain his blue fur and white glove as he clamped a hand firmly over his wound.

"All right, Sonic," Scourge sneered, drawing a small pistol from a pocket in his jacket. "Any last words?"

Another explosion, this one the loudest yet. Were there voices out in the hall…? Or was that the sound of death; what everyone seemed to hear before their life was ended?

The door burst open and a huge group of people ran in, weapons at the ready. Scourge roughly dragged Sonic up from the ground, wrapping an arm around his neck and shoving the gun's barrel into his temple. "Make one move and he dies!"

**XxXxXxXx**

** CLIFFIE! You'll just have to wait until tomorrow.**

** I'm sorry, Iris. I butchered your request. I got too carried away. I'm sorry. But later on I'll fix the request in the final chapter.**

** Anyway, Aj the Human…There will be more Aj later. This was basically the get-everyone-together-and-do-stuff thingy. **

** I hope you enjoyed!**

** SCOURGE: Review or I'll shoot him!**

** GHOSTKING: 0_o You probably should review…**


	16. Chapter 15: It All Comes Together PT 2

** Chapter 15: It All Comes Together PT 2**

** SCOURGE: Hmmm…Ok, I guess I got enough reviews. Sonic lives…for now.**

** GHOSTKING: How did you hijack my story? GET OUT! *takes shiny sword from out of nowhere***

** SCOURGE: Crap, another crazy Author…**

** Ok, well, the final conclusion! I've had a good day today! I finally got to the final story in Sonic Heroes and Metal Sonic is scaring the crap out of me because the creepiness level just skyrocketed and he's a freaking transformer/dragon/LEGO thing, and it scares me. But I think I can defeat him tomorrow. I am a freaking gaming god. **

** And I just realized I haven't put 'Hasta la Vista, Readers!' at the end of last chapter. 0_o **

** Oh well. You're probably wanting to read now…**

"_No!_" Riza cried.

A couple in the group stood in shock, a couple more standing with expressions that said, '_Try it. I dare you._'

"Drop your weapons." Scourge growled.

"One second, Scourge." Vector hissed. "What are you planning to do?"

"I'm planning to blow his brains out if you don't drop your weapons!" he tightened his arm around Sonic's neck.

Vector hesitated ever so slightly before throwing a small pistol to the ground. Everyone else slowly followed suit. Draken had finally regained his senses, and was picking up all the weapons, kicking them into a corner.

"All right. Since I'm going to kill you all anyway, I suppose you have a right to know," Scourge smiled evilly. "But I'm surprised you haven't caught on yet."

"We know most of it!" Charmy shouted.

"You need powerful objects. The Seven Chaos Emeralds, along with the Master Emerald. The Iblis Stone, Manic and Sonia's medallions…anything. Even the Cyan Emerald that is Duskzilla's only ticket home." Vector started. "And I'm guessing that you're keen on taking over our dimension, yours _and_ Duskzilla's. You'd be the king of the universe."

"I'm glad you're not completely stupid." Scourge smiled again. "Yes, that is my ultimate goal. But I wouldn't be the only ruler. I would grant my followers rule over the worlds too. No one would stand up to us again. We would crush anyone in our path."

The door opened again and the group glanced over their shoulders to see Violet, May, Mary, Robotnik, Mephiles, Rosy, and Metal Sonic; all of whom were holding strange-looking guns.

"What I didn't understand until about now…" Vector laughed. "…was why Breezy's murdered Chao seemed to have evidence of Amy on it. That wasn't Amy…it was Rosy's hair, wasn't it?"

Rosy pulled her hammer out in reply. "I've been practicing. You'll be my next kill."

There was another rumble that shook the room. Everyone stared at the roof, wondering what could possibly be happening now. Espio took advantage of the situation and darted into the corner filled with weapons and grabbed his ninja stars, turning invisible as he went.

"_SHOOT HIM!_" Scourge shouted.

Arcs of electricity rained down around the weapon stack as the evildoers fired their guns. Espio wasn't hit, and Scourge got a flicker of worry across his face. "Espio! One move and he dies!"

Silence in the room for a total of five seconds. Then Scourge's arm jerked to the side with an unpleasant sounding snap. He gritted his teeth together and pulled the trigger.

_ BANG_!

His arm jerked upwards at the last second and he was dragged towards the wall like steel to a magnet. One sleeve of his jacket was pinned by a ninja star. He had dropped the gun and released Sonic, who collapsed on the ground, coughing. Espio became visible by his side, pulling him up and leading him back towards the crowd.

"The only way you'd succeed in your domination would to get rid of Sonic. Being the Iblis Trigger, you would have released Iblis had you killed him just now." Espio growled.

Another explosion, this one louder and more fierce. Someone shouted inside the hall, followed by a loud, "OVER HERE!"

The door flew open to reveal Shadow, Knuckles, Amy, Silver and Blaze. There was a few seconds of stunned silence before all hell broke loose.

"DESTROY THEM!" Scourge shouted, ripping his jacket free from the wall. He picked up the ninja star and ran at the group.

Vector had made it to the weapon corner, throwing everything he could get back to his comrades. He picked up a sword and darted at the attackers.

Riza and Aj managed to slip away, running to the other corner where Manic and Sonia still lay. "We need to get them somewhere safe!" Aj muttered.

"No, really." Riza sighed. "Come on! Quickly! While they're distracted!"

She grabbed Manic by his feet and began dragging him across the floor towards the door. It opened, but instead of an escape route, three robots blocked their path.

"AAAGH!" Riza shouted, unable to defend herself or Manic due to surprise.

"DIE!" Aj shouted, clubbing one of them with what looked like a blade of a broken sword. It stumbled backwards, the domino effect happening between all three of them.

"I'm really glad that worked! Come on!" Aj picked up Sonia and the two of them ran out.

Securing their escape were Grock, Dull Twilight and Randi. Dull quickly kept Metal Sonic from following them and Randi chopped at Draken's multiple arms with quick, precise movements. Grock stood, looking lost for a few seconds before pulling out two tiny guns from one pocket. A huge grin spread across his face.

"All riiight!" he cheered, pressing two small buttons on them.

Immeadentally, the guns began to transform into twin barreled laser guns that were almost too heavy for him to hold. He shot, missing Metal by inches and blowing a huge hole in the wall.

"Grock! Put those to use and _KILL THE OTHER GUY_!" Dull shouted as Draken twisted his arm sharply behind him.

Grock briefly aimed and shot, blasting Draken into the wall.

"That thing is awesome." Randi gasped. "Where can I get one?"

"You can't get them anywhere yet. They're prototypes." Grock shrugged.

The door was thrown open and many of their enemies began running through. "BRING THE BATTLE OUT OF THE BASE!" Robotnik shouted.

"_FOR NAAAAARNIA!_" Charmy screamed, following. The others joined in his battle cry and rushed to the surface.

"May! Mary! It's time to turn the tables! Stop fighting us and help us stop them!" Espio hissed.

"On it." Mary nodded.

The battle resumed just as fiercely as it had underground. No one seemed to be winning or losing. It was almost a complete and total standstill.

That is, until the army of robots came running from the forest.

"Muhahaha! Get them!" Robotnik laughed.

"_ATTACK!_" Blade screamed.

But the numbers were simply too great. Within minuets, each robot was aiming a gun at a fallen opponent, waiting for further instructions.

"Pathetic. Just pathetic."

Vector stared up at Scourge, who had a long cut above one eye. "I expected worse. Now it's time to end you…and this miserable planet. We'll crush all life and rebuild it with beings from the other dimensions."

Draken stumbled over to his side, a huge grin on his face despite his injuries. Three of his extra arms had been torn off, another two unusable. Scourge simply drew one of the Chaos Emeralds out of his pockets and used the energy from it to heal the worst of his comrade's injuries.

"Now…you will die." Scourge let the Emerald leave his hand, floating around his head. The other six came from the sidelines, where Metal had been holding on to them the entire time.

The resistance shielded their eyes as a brilliant flash took place. Scourge was now a light purple, seemingly turned negative from the power of the gems. They were nearly blinded by the light, and it didn't help that they were nearly deafened by the loud explosion that followed.

"Gotta love those Emeralds." Sonic snickered, standing up. His fur had turned golden and his eyes were now red…the chaos Energy had effected him too. "Now…I'll fight you. Leave your cronies for the others."

They sped upwards into the sky, where more loud explosions and flashes took place. Metal calmly walked over towards Breezy and his arm transformed into a small rocket launcher.

"NO! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Charmy screamed. He broke free of the robot that was holding him back and rushed at Metal, slamming his small fists on his head and shouting not-so-nice words.

Meanwhile, Shadow had escaped from his captor and was busy gathering the Emeralds so he too could go Super and help Sonic finish off Scourge. Espio had engaged Mephiles in battle along with Tessa, who fought viciously.

Just as it seemed that the villains were going to give up, another group of robots came running from the woods.

"Where do these things come from?" Reece screamed, taking a large tree branch and knocking one of their heads off.

"Muhahaha! Get them!" Robotnik laughed from the robot he was sitting in. It took a dangerous swipe at Blade, missing narrowly.

GhostKing leapt up onto the robot's arm and ran along it until she reached the dome of glass that sheltered Robotnik. Her sword glowed with red energy as she plunged it into the shelter, the blade stopping an inch from his nose. The robot threw her off and into a tree.

"If we take out Robotnik, there won't be any more robots!" Light shouted. "Come on! Everyone gang up!"

The battle cry could be heard for miles as the resistance lunged for the robot. It stumbled, falling backwards and landing on its back hard. They swarmed the broken glass, breaking it completely and dragging Robotnik out.

"LET'S HANG HIM BY HIS MOUSTACHE!" Charmy suggested.

"Nooo! I never wanted to take part in this!" Robotnik cried.

"Look out!" Tamara shouted, pointing to the side.

Draken had approached, multiple weapons carried by his extra limbs. He began to fight seven of them with hardly any effort at all. Silver was thrown backwards into the wreckage of the glass, Dark Misery was tossed into the air like a rag doll and Duskzilla was picked up and thrown into Rouge and May.

"Hey! Leave them alone!" Grock shouted, large laser guns at the ready. He shot, the kickback almost slamming him into a nearby tree. Draken dodged narrowly, coming for him instead.

"_WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, ATTACKING MY FRIENDS?_" Came a loud voice from the sidelines of the battle.

Draken turned to see Aj and Riza, both of whom were standing with their arms crossed and angry expressions on their faces. He began to ran at them, the two extra arms with knives at the end glinting in the light dangerously.

"Hit it!" Aj shouted, diving out of the way as Draken approached.

Manic and Sonia darted out from behind a couple trees, their medallions glowing and their instruments appeared. Draken stopped, laughing. "What are you going to do, give me a headache?"

"ROCKBAND!" Manic cheered, beginning an epic drum solo.

The ground began to shake and Draken had trouble standing, as did everyone else. Sonia did her best to stay on her feet and play the keyboard in front of her at the same time, finally just picking it up and aiming it like a gun. "Last chance, Draken! Surrender!"

He only laughed harder. But his smile was quickly wiped off his face as a pink laser beam shot from Sonia's keyboard, striking him in the chest and blasting him backwards at least twelve meters.

From up above the battle, Sonic, Shadow and Scourge were viciously still fighting. None of them seemed to be close to giving in and would fight to the death.

"I could give you rule over a planet." Scourge grinned madly as he landed a punch on Shadow's head. "Stop fighting now and I'll consider it."

"How about you stop fighting and we'll consider sparing your life." Shadow hissed, striking out and catching Scourge in his leg.

Sonic managed to grab Scourge's left arm and twist it sharply behind his back. Shadow then proceeded to Chaos Spear him, but the attack didn't seem to do him any harm.

Back on the ground, things were not going so smoothly. The only reason the resistance was still winning was because of Manic and Sonia, who were shooting lasers everywhere and making the ground shake so much everyone had trouble standing. Blaze managed to pull Silver from the wreckage of the robot, surprised by the amount of blood that stained his back from the broken glass.

"I have a plan." She said. "But I need your help!"

"I don't think I can, Blaze!" Silver muttered.

"You have to." Blaze pulled the Iblis Stone from her pocket. "I need you to distract Mephiles. I'll gather some of the Emeralds and seal his spirit in with Iblis'. I think that's the only way we can stop him."

Silver tried to levitate himself but collapsed back onto the ground. "The world's fuzzy…"

"All right…stay with me." Blaze commanded. "I'll get someone else to help if you stay here, ok?"

Silver nodded, trying to reach the glass that was stuck in his back. "I wouldn't take that out." Blaze suggested. "Hey! Troy! You! Yes, you! Who else is named Troy here? Find a Chaos Emerald and get Silver back on his feet!"

Blaze darted back into the battle, trying hard not to fall over because of the earthquakes Manic caused.

Riza caught up to her. "What are you planning? I can help!"

"Help me find at least two Emeralds and then Mephiles." Blaze said. "I'll need you to distract him while I seal him in with the Iblis Stone."

"Shouldn't be too hard." Riza shrugged, but she looked scared.

The two Emeralds weren't too hard to find. The hardest part was walking the distance to them. The earth began to shake even more, threatening to throw them into the trees at times. The two of them found Mephiles standing over Cinnamon, who lay unmoving nearby a tree.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Blaze shouted, hurling fireballs at him.

Mephiles turned, laughing. "Are you going to stop me?"

"We are!" Riza shouted, dusking over towards Cinnamon. Mephiles' back was to Blaze…just as she planned. The two Emeralds she had began to glow, their power surrounding her and growing.

"I'd love to see you try to stop me." Mephiles was saying. "You couldn't even stop me from killing your friend."

Riza's face filled with horror as she turned to Cinnamon's still form. "You…_killed_ her?"

Mephiles laughed. "Would you like to join her?"

The energy was enough now. Blaze let the Chaos power shoot at Mephiles, encasing him in its light. He turned, surprised and a bit…fearful? It was hard to tell.

"Let me go!" He shouted as the energy began to pull him towards Blaze.

She held the Iblis Stone in front of her, dropping the two Emeralds. "I don't think so."

"_NO!_" Mephiles shouted, trying desperately to escape the clutches of the power. With a blinding flash, the stone Blaze was holding turned darker, the darkness accenting the flame designs.

"We did it." She sighed. "Thank Chaos."

"Cinnamon!" Riza shouted. "_Cinnamon!_ Wake up!"

Blaze rushed to her side, feeling for any pulse. "She's still alive. I don't know what Mephiles did to her, but she needs help…now." She retrieved one of the Emeralds, using some more of the power encased in it.

Cinnamon took a deep breath and sat straight up. "OH GOOD CHAOS!"

"You're alive!" Riza shouted.

"…Oh, yeah, I suppose that's good." Cinnamon looked confused. "What happened?"

"One down," Blaze held out the stone. "about seven or so to go."

** XxXxXxXx**

On the opposite side of the battle, Charmy's suggestion had been put to action. Robotnik was tied to a tree, his moustache wrapped around one of the upper limbs. "Let me go!"

"Haha!" Charmy laughed so hard he fell out of the air. "I wish I had a camera!"

"He's not going anywhere for a while." Dark Misery smiled. "Come on, let's get the others."

** XxXxXxXx**

Randi, Duskzilla and Tessa were half fighting, half fleeing. Violet and Rosy were running after them, the earthquake caused by Manic slowing them down greatly. Duskzilla had recovered his Cyan Emerald and he was using it to shoot bolts of energy at the pursuers. Unfortunately, a great majority of his shots missed on account of the shaking ground.

"You can't run forever!" Violet shouted, a long knife in one hand. Rosy was struggling on with a large hammer that looked as though it would crush them flat.

"This is getting nowhere!" Randi growled. She picked up a long, thin tree branch and swung it behind her blindly.

Violet was knocked to the side, blood beginning to flow from a small cut. "Now you've made me mad!"

"Oh, snap." Tessa muttered, narrowly throwing herself out of the way as Rosy's hammer slammed into the ground next to her. She managed to get to her feet and slam one foot into Rosy's shoulder, knocking her to the side but not letting go of her weapon.

"EVERYONE LOOK OUT!" Came the loud shout from the sidelines.

The three resistant members glanced in the direction of the shout to see Rachel lighting a large barrage of fireworks…all aimed at them.

"AAAAGH!" They lunged to the side just as the first one ignited. With a loud squeal and an explosion of red, it knocked Violet off her feet and sent her running. Another firework lifted her off the ground and slammed her into a tree, where she didn't get up.

Rosy used her hammer to shield herself from a few of the shots, but one missed her weapon and struck just to the right of her, nearly catching her skirt on fire and sending her flying.

"I didn't actually think that was going to work!" Rachel beamed. "But I'm glad it did!"

"Don't ever do that again!" Randi shouted. "I almost died!"

"THAT WAS SO COOL!" Duskzilla cheered. "DO IT AGAIN!"

** XxXxXxXx**

Draken slowly approached the curled-up mass of silvery, bloodstained fur, kicking it hard. Silver uncurled with a sharp yelp and tried to back up. His back brushed up against the fallen robot…nowhere to go.

"Awww…did that hurt?" Draken sneered. "That's too bad."

He tried to kick him again, but his foot was halted by Silver's power, stopping it in midair. Draken simply laughed, his extra robotic arms wrapping around Silver's limbs and lifting him into the air.

"Let me go!" Silver shouted.

"Oh, certainly." Draken smiled, throwing him to the ground, hard.

"Hey!"

Draken turned to see Tamara, Blade and Dull, all three of them holding either a sword or a club. "Leave him alone!" Tamara shouted.

Draken lunged at the three, one of the limbs with the knife on the end narrowly missing Blade's face. He struck out with his club, bringing it down so hard that Draken's artificial arm broke off in a hiss of sparks.

"You'll pay for that!" He roared.

Tamara struck out with her sword, slicing Draken's shirt and drawing a thin line of blood. He simply laughed, wrapping his fist around her neck.

In another swift move, Dull stabbed out with his sword, cutting off two more of Draken's arms and causing him to scream in fury. Tamara was released and the three began their attack on Draken.

Silver managed to stand despite the shaking ground and made his way over to them, using his power to paralyze Draken as the three hacked off the rest of his robotic limbs.

"Oh, I'm sorry…did that hurt? Too bad." Silver growled, tossing Draken hard into a tree. He didn't get back up; too stunned from what had happened.

"That was totally_ awesome!_" Dull cheered.

That was three seconds before the underground base began to creak and groan under their feet, pitching them to the side as it rose up out of the ground, bits of metals and steel flying everywhere.

"Oh, crap." Tamara muttered as the flying weapons finally began to settle in one spot, building something up…

** XxXxXxXx**

"All right, who forgot to take out the stupid robot?" Breezy gasped, looking terrified as Metal Sonic began to grow off the base's metal.

"Knuckles." Duskzilla said instantly.

"I did not!" Knuckles growled.

"It doesn't matter! We need to stop this…this…uh…thing!" Grock struggled to lift his weapons. "Dang, why did I make these things so heavy?"

"What I want to know is how he managed to copy everyone's abilities while we were fighting." Aj said.

"I don't think he necessarily copied us…" Espio said. "I think he copied everyone he was working with before we attacked."

"Oh, great. So that means…"

Metal stared directly at them, lasers flying from his eyes and narrowly missing the group as they scattered. "HOLY CRAP!"

"Manic! Sonia! Get over here!" Riza shouted.

"I think he managed to copy them too!" Aj squeaked. "How else do you explain the lasers?"

"What do we do?" GhostKing demanded.

"Uh…anyone use Chaos Control?"

"I can!" Silver said.

"Then do it! While he's frozen, do as much damage as possible!" GhostKing wiped her sword on her trench coat.

"CHAOS CONTROL!"

** XxXxXxXx**

"Getting tired yet?" Scourge sneered.

"Aren't you?" Sonic growled.

All three of them were finally reaching the end of their strength. They had lost a bit of altitude, and their attacks hadn't been as powerful as before. Shadow tried for another Chaos Spear, shock on his face as it simply faded out. "Look,"

Down below them, they watched as Metal Sonic used the steel in the base to transform into what appeared to be a Transformer reject.

"Oh, that's great." Sonic facepalmed.

"I'll help them. Sonic…you finish off Scourge!" Shadow darted down towards where the others were still fighting.

"What? Hold up!" Sonic shouted, but he was long gone.

"You know you can't defeat me yourself, is that it?" Scourge hissed.

"Nah. I just need someone there to hold me back so I don't completely destroy you. I think someone would like a part of you to bury." Sonic smiled evilly, darting towards his opponent.

Scourge drew a knife from out of nowhere; one of the ones he seemed to have a large collection of. He slashed at Sonic as he came darting towards him, missing slightly. Sonic slammed both fists into Scourge's stomach, making him drop a fair distance. Below him, Metal was shouting in rage as Shadow and the others attacked.

"Give up, Sonic! You know you cannot win!" Scourge screamed, flying at him with the knife held out above his head.

** XxXxXxXx**

"Silver! Chaos Control one last time!" Dark Misery shouted. "We've almost got him!"

"I…I…can't…" Silver gasped, collapsing onto all fours. "Come on…isn't….four times enough…?"

"Apparently not!" Aj shouted.

Metal slammed his hand on the ground, missing the group by inches. He roared in frustration as Shadow zipped around his head, landing an occasional attack but not doing real damage.

"Cha…Chaos…Control…" Silver muttered before collapsing completely.

Metal was suspended in time as the others rushed forward, weapons at the ready as the bashed in every inch of him they could reach; freezing joints and keeping him from moving when the Chaos Control wore off.

Within twenty seconds Metal was freed from the prison of time, still unable to move. Shadow darted into one of his extra eyes and there was a brilliant explosion of burning steel.

Metal lay in the middle of the explosion, back to his regular size. One leg was gone completely and another was twisted in a terrible way.

"That takes care of him." Shadow hissed. The golden glow from his fur was gone. He was back to normal.

"Silver, are you all right?" Blade demanded.

"My eyes hurt." Silver muttered.

"He's ok." Troy assured everyone.

"Hey, we won!" Charmy said. "This is amazing!"

"Not yet, we didn't." Vector pointed up into the sky, where two flashes of light were darting around. "Scourge is still able to fight."

"There's gotta be something we can do…" Troy muttered. He glanced to the side. "Hey, Blaze? You control fire, right?"

** XxXxXxXx**

Sonic could feel the Chaos Energy slipping away from him. The golden glow around him had began to darken towards blue again. He was losing…he couldn't lose.

"Prepare to die, Sonic!" Scourge shouted. He too was losing the purple glow about him, but it was renewed with energy as he darted at his nemesis, the knife in front of him.

There was a loud squeal and then a terrific explosion. Red sparks rained down around them. Sonic looked down at the ground just in time to see another firework come shooting up. He dodged to the side, letting it explode in golden sparks.

"What is this?" Scourge demanded.

"Fireworks. It means we've won." Sonic slammed a fist into his head.

Another explosion took place in a blue flash. Scourge began to fly at Sonic again with the knife raised…

There was a moment that Sonic thought time had stopped again. Scourge was flying at him with murder in his eyes one second, and the next he was spiraling down towards the ground, the power of the Chaos Emeralds gone from his form. His jacket was trailing smoke and Sonic knew what had happened.

Someone had good enough aim to hit him with a firework.

As he was descending towards the ground, he felt the power leave him completely. He was freefalling, heading directly towards a pile of deactivated robots…

"AAAAGH YOU'RE SO HEAVY!" Charmy wailed, grabbing onto his shoe and managing to fly him to a safe area and dump him onto his head.

"Thanks." Sonic muttered.

"WE WON! THE WORLDS ARE SAFE!" Duskzilla shouted.

More fireworks were launched into the air in an explosion of colour. Sonic shakily stood and headed over towards where Scourge had fallen.

He was lying on a large rock, struggling to crawl away but pitching to the side in a loud moan. Sonic approached him and stopped, horrified.

The knife that Scourge had used to try and kill him with was imbedded in his back to the left of his spine, the blade protruding from his stomach.

"You…you've won this battle…but not…the war…" Scourge gasped. "I'll…get you…Just wait."

"We've got to get you to a hospital."

"No!" Scourge coughed. "Never! Chaos…Chaos Control!"

He vanished in a flash of light, leaving behind the Emerald.

"How did he do that?" Breezy asked, horrified.

"I think he went back to his dimension." Sonic muttered. "But something tells me he'll be back soon."

** XxXxXxXx**

"So all the other guys were arrested?" Tails asked.

"Yeah. Duskzilla has his Cyan Emerald back, so he went home. Breezy and Charmy went to get ice cream again, Vector's with GhostKing and they're trying to clean up most of the battlegrounds with the others." Espio said. "But the only downside to this is that Scourge escaped."

"Oh no!"

"But I don't think he'll be back for a while. He was wounded pretty badly."

"That's good."

"Feel up to helping the group clean up?"

"Sure."

** XxXxXxXx**

"I kinda feel sorry for Metal." Troy muttered. "He'll need new legs."

"Draken needs his arms repaired or something." Dark Misery said. "He sort of deserved it, though."

"Sonic! I'm so glad you're ok…I saw that robot drag you off and I didn't know what to do." Riza sighed from across the battle scene. "I'm glad I ran into these guys, though."

"Tell me about it." Aj said. "You know…you look really familiar. I don't think I've ever seen you before, but something about you…"

"A lot of people say that." Sonic shrugged. "You'll remember."

** XxXxXxXx**

And so, the forest was cleaned up. Everyone went back to their normal lives.

At least, the Chaotix Detective Agency went back to their lives before all the mystery stuff.

"Aaagh, it's soooo boring!" Charmy yelled, grabbing onto the fan's blades and hitching a ride again.

"I think we needed a break." Espio said. "That was almost too much excitement."

"Yeah, with all that kissing you did earlier…that reminds me…Mary wants to date you." Vector snickered.

"If she sets one foot in this agency I will-"

"I'm kidding! Jeez…" Vector laughed.

Espio muttered something about going insane and slipped off somewhere alone. Charmy stopped spinning on the fan and went to draw a picture. Vector sat behind the main desk, turning up his music and finally getting the break he had been looking forward to for a while. At last…no mysteries. He was amazed he was saying that.

** XxXxXxXx**

** END**

** Whew! It's finished! I'm so sad! Now I have to write author notes!**

** Thank you so much to everyone who sent in a story idea. I had so much fun writing this! **

** To everyone who sent in ideas but didn't get a chapter in this…just wait. I'm planning on maybe a second series…? If you want, keep on sending in ideas. UNLESS YOU ALREADY HAVE. If you have suggestions, go ahead and send them in. I left this sorta open for a sequel.**

** Remember how I said this would only be 130 pages? Well, it's now like, 149.**

** All right...well, I think that's the ending. For real this time. No more waits for other stuff. I have re-evaluated my favorite character list! It goes like this: Silver, Shadow, Scourge, Team Chaotix, Tails, Blaze, Knuckles. They're just awesome like that. **

** If I do a sequel, it'll be after I finish my other FanFictions that I started but never finished. After that…the Chaotix Detective Agency may come back in another adventurous adventure filled with horror and humor and all things random!**

** Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

** Lordoftheghostking28**

** SCOURGE: *sorta dying* I'll have my revenge! Just wait! I will take over the universe! And when I do, nothing will stop me!**


End file.
